Stump
by AquaQuadrant
Summary: Life in the apocalypse isn't easy; Clementine knows this better than anyone. But when she gets bitten in the shed, she finds it's even harder to survive with only one leg. (amputation!fic, season 2 spoilers)
1. Chapter 1

Spoilers for Season 2!

**Author's Note:** Hello, readers! So I started watching some walkthroughs and started wondering what it'd be like if Clem got bitten and had to cut off her leg, cause it's not like this series is depressing enough already. This story will begin when Clementine is attacked in the shed and will most likely continue until the end of Season 2. The only difference will be that Clem's right leg now ends in a stump. This story was originally posted on Tumblr.

**Rated T for:** Amputation, violence, swearing, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

If anyone is a reader of my other stories, I apologize for basically abandoning them. I plan to post the next chapter of ERCH in the near future, but I'm not sure about HFWC. I might just discontinue it. Thanks for understanding.

And now, without further ado, please enjoy the first chapter of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

Clementine tied off the final stitch, breathing heavily as tears flowed steadily down her face.

The wooden shed was heavy with the scent of blood and disinfectant. Her arm felt like it was on fire. Gritting her teeth, Clem swore she would never touch another dog ever again. And she swore to never trust 'doctors' who couldn't even tell a walker bite from a dog bite. Walkers had human teeth, not canine teeth, for godsake!

Trembling, Clementine reached for the bandages and began to wrap her wound. But the fabric slipped from her shaking fingers and landed on the floor with a soft thud. Clem groaned inwardly and knelt down to pick it up.

Only to be met with a walker's face mere inches from hers.

With a scream, Clem fell backwards as the walker lunged for her, snarling. It grabbed her ankle, trying to pull itself close enough to bite her. Holding onto the table for dear life, Clementine reached for the hammer. It was just out of reach...

The walker jerked forward, and pain shot up her right leg. Clem stumbled and landed hard, scrambling backward as the walker advanced. The rotting corpse pushed itself on top of her with a growl, its teeth gnashing two inches from her face. Shoving her legs into the walker's stomach, Clementine kicked as hard as she could, sending it to the ground a foot away.

_Weapon... find a weapon!_

Adrenaline pumping, Clem jumped to her feet, grabbing the first thing she could; a brick. The walker had pulled itself to its feet now, but Clementine knocked it back again with the brick. But she didn't throw hard enough to kill it, and the walker had already recovered itself. Thinking quickly, Clem reached for a rake and pinned the walker against the back wall of the shed, pushing with all her strength against the full-grown walker. It lost its footing and fell back, impaling itself on some farm tool.

The walker continued to snap and grunt, its gnarled hands reaching out for her, but it couldn't pull itself free. Wasting no time, Clem turned and grabbed the hammer, driving it into the walker's skull.

The corpse fell silent just as the door opened.

Light flooded the shed. Clementine could see shadows on the wall. She let her hand slide off the hammer, sinking to the ground. She could hear voices.

"What the hell?!"

"How did it get in?"

"The shed should've been safe."

"You alright?"

"Clementine..."

Clem didn't respond or turn around to face them. She felt disconnected, like everything was happening in slow motion. Clementine rolled up the leg of her jeans, staring at her right leg.

"I'm bitten...?"

The wound was deep, a good chunk of flesh missing a couple inches above her ankle. Clem's expression turned to horror as nausea swept through her. It was bleeding; crimson liquid pooling around her foot.

"I'm bitten." She repeated, her heart beginning to race. Clementine turned around, facing the group of stricken people. "I'm bitten! Oh god no, I- I can't be..." Her breathing quickened. "No, not now, not like this! Please, I can't turn... _god_, _I'm bitten_... help me, _please!"_

"Oh my god.."

"We can't, not like last time.."

"Well, we have to do _something!_"

"Shit, we're screwed-"

"Get Carlos!"

Luke was the first to act, approaching Clementine cautiously. She locked eyes with him, communicating a sense of urgency.

"We have to cut it off." Clem said. "Now."

"Clementine, we can't-"

"I said _now_, Luke!" Clementine balled her hands into fists, gritting her teeth. "I'm not going to turn, understand? If you won't help, I'll... I'll hack it off myself! I'll bleed to death before I turn!" She was beginning to panic, Luke could see that much.

"Not out here." He told her, gathering Clementine into his arms. "We'll go inside, okay? Carlos will know what to do." The young man tried to calm Clementine down, but he was scared, too. Luke hoped she couldn't tell.

"Okay..." Clem buried her face in Luke's shoulder, gripping his shirt like a life line. She was crying now, she was _terrified_. It seemed like her whole body was in pain, her arm and her leg were agony, and her mind was screaming.

**_'No, no, no, no, no!'_**

The run to the house was short, but it felt like a lifetime. And then suddenly Clementine was laying on a couch, back in the house, people rushing by and shouting. Her vision was going in and out of focus, her heart pounding and blood roaring in her ears. Voices... lots of voices, each sounding quick and panicky.

"I need some towels!"

"Where's the disinfectant?"

_"Hurry up!"_

"Dad, what's going on...?"

"Sarah, get upstairs _now_."

"Is she going to turn?"

"We can't, she's just a child-"

"There's no other choice."

Clementine flinched as someone approached her. It was Carlos, the doctor. Clem frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden spasm of pain gripped her. She inhaled sharply and bit her tongue, her mouth filling with the taste of coppery blood.

Clementine looked up at Carlos and smiled weakly.

"See, _this_ is a walker bite."

Carlos didn't smile back. He handed her a water bottle and some pills.

"Hurry up and take them." The doctor instructed. "They're painkillers, and antibiotics. We might as well get them in your system now, _if_ you're really sure you want to do this." Carlos fixed her with a serious look.

"This might not work. A gun would be a kinder death." He told her simply.

Clem narrowed her eyes and downed the pills.

"I'm sure. Cut it off. I'm not gonna turn."

Carlos nodded grimly.

"Very well." He answered. Carlos tied a piece of fabric around her bitten leg, halfway down her calf. It was tight; probably to cut off circulation. "You will most likely pass out. It will be over before you know it. Bring me the antiseptic!" He called over his shoulder. One of the guys (Nick, was it?) handed the doctor a bottle.

Clementine braced herself for pain.

The doctor began cleaning the bite. Clem made a strangled gasping sound, squeezing her eyes shut. This was worse than the dog bite on her arm. Much worse.

"Is this all we have?" Clem heard Carlos ask.

"It's the only one I could find."

Clem peered at them with one eye.

"Um.. I kinda stole the other one..." She said faintly, wincing as the alcohol stung her wound. "For my arm."

Carlos raised his eyebrows.

"How... never mind. It doesn't matter now." The doctor sighed. "Alvin, Pete, I need you. You have to hold her down." He began to thread a needle, moving with the practiced motion of a surgeon. "Luke, get the woodcutter's axe and disinfect the blade. It'll do better than your machete."

Clementine hear footsteps as people hastened to follow orders. Everything was so surreal... it was like a dream.

"Once it's amputated, I'm going to stitch it up and bandage it. We need towels, rags, anything you can find to stop the bleeding."

Clem was feeling dizzy. Was that from blood loss, or was she already turning? She didn't know.

"Thank you, Luke. Pete, Alvin, now."

Two pairs of strong hands pressed down on Clementine's arms, pinning her to the couch.

"Give her something to bite down on."

Clem felt something being put in her mouth... a rag? It tasted old... but she clamped it between her teeth anyways.

"Get ready..."

'For what...?' Clementine tried to say, but her mouth was full of fabric. What was going on? Why was she here? She couldn't remember...

**CRACK**

A scream ripped through Clem's throat, but the sound was muffled. Her back arched as she thrashed against the people holding her down.

_**CRA-ACK**_

There was a sickening crunching sound. Pain- horrible electric pain arced throughout her entire body. Clementine writhed in agony, her nerves overloading.

_crunch, _**SNAP**

She couldn't take it anymore, _she couldn't-_

And then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Hello! Glad to see people enjoyed the first one, thanks for those who reviewed it, I really appreciate feedback. I just want to remind everyone that I'm basing my knowledge on Season 2 from a playthrough, since I don't own the game myself. This means that many choices made in both season 1 and 2 will be different from everyone who reads this and has played the game themselves.

**Rated T for:** Swearing, amputation, violence, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

Oh, and there's some plain dialogue, so here's the order of who speaks: Alvin, Luke, Rebecca, Nick, Luke, Rebecca, Alvin, Rebecca, Nick, Luke, Rebecca, Luke, Rebecca, Luke, Rebecca

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter two of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Two**

When Clementine woke up, the first thing she was aware of was pain.

It was a sharp, stabbing pain, pulsing with every heartbeat. She felt like her leg was being clamped in a vise, over and over again. Her head was aching; it was hard to recall details. Clem scanned the room, recognizing her surroundings, but still unsure as to why she was here. She felt cold, even though she was covered in a wool blanket. She almost wanted to pull the blanket away and see what was causing her so much pain, but her attention was caught by voices in the kitchen.

Though her line of vision was limited from her spot on the couch, Clementine could see that the door was cracked open. She heard people talking inside and decided to listen, and maybe figure out what was going on...

"Do you think it worked?"

"She hasn't run a fever yet, and it's been plenty of time. I don't think she's infected."

"Damn..."

"And what about the one on her arm? Was it really a dog bite?"

"Carlos seems to think so."

Clementine knit her brows together, trying to remember. Carlos- she remembered Carlos. But what was this about bites? Dog bite on her arm...? Clem gently pushed up the sleeve on her left arm, wincing as she brushed against the bandage. The area was sensitive; but not where all the pain was coming from. Dog bite was starting to sound familiar. Clementine could see the dog in her mind's eye, feel its fur beneath her fingers and its teeth sinking into her flesh.

"-don't know if we should've helped her..."

"What were we supposed to do?"

"I don't know, but not _this!_"

"How can we trust her? She stole from us-"

"Give it a rest, will you? We locked her in a shed, for crying out loud..."

A shed? Clementine shut her eyes as memories rushed back to her. She remembered the smell- rotting wood and blood... blood? Why was there blood- right, her arm. Clem tried to piece together events from last night: dog bite, shed, stealing, blood... and then?

"Don't you remember the last time we took care of someone who-"

"Of course I remember! But she's not gonna turn, so shut the hell up about it, alright?"

"This is going to cause more harm then good, you know that, right? We've wasted medicine on her, valuable medicine that could've been needed for any one of us. And for what? Now we have to deal with a cripple-"

"That's_ enough! _I know the risks but... she's just a little girl..."

There was a long silence. Clementine could hear her heart beating madly. They were talking about her. Something happened, and now everyone was upset. Some of them were upset with her. Because she stole from them? Clem was confused. She _had_ to steal those supplies, they'd left her in a shed to die. It was coming back to her now... she remembered how her arm was getting worse and no one was helping. She remembered sneaking into the cabin and finding the supplies, and then back at the shed..

_That's_ where the blood came in. She'd sewn up her arm, all by herself. Just like Christa taught her. It was so painful...

But what happened after that? Clementine replayed the events in her mind. A dog bit her, she got put in the shed, she broke out, snuck into the house, stole supplies, went back to the shed, stitched up her arm, went for the bandages-

Bandages.

They fell of the table and then the walker- _the walker. _It was _right there. _It had gotten in through the hole she made, and then it went for her... it grabbed her leg and- she remembered more pain, and shouting...

_'I'm bitten...?'_

_'Everyone calm down!'_

_'We have to cut it off. Now.'_

_'Is she going to turn?'_

_'Get ready...'_

Clementine slowly, carefully, pushed the blanket away. It slid to the floor with a barely audible thud. She stared at her leg- or rather, what was left of it.

Three inches below the knee there was nothing. Nothing. Her leg just... stopped. Clem leaned forward and placed her hand where her leg would be, where it _should_ be. But instead of coming to rest on her calf, her hand landed on the couch cushion. Clementine's breathing grew shallow. She choked down a sob, her stomach churning.

It was a stump.

Her leg was a stump. The end of her leg was wrapped in bandages heavy with dried blood, lying on the couch like a dead animal. She tensed the muscles in her legs experimentally. Her left foot flexed, but her right leg twitched and sent a jolt of pain through her. It.. it _felt_ like she was flexing her foot but it just wasn't _there._

"We should've just shot her when we had the chance... would've been quick, and painless."

Clementine's heart jumped. She needed to leave, she had to get out _now. _Setting her jaw, Clem quietly swung her left leg over the side of the couch. Easy. Now for the other one...

Gripping the arm of the couch, Clem brought her other leg around to meet the first. It felt much lighter than she remembered. Clementine slowly lowered herself to the floor, deciding it'd be far easier to crawl then walk. The wooden floor was rough; Clem hoped a splinter didn't snag her bandages...

The going was slow and painful. Every little movement in her leg caused violent pain to flare up. Silent tears were streaming down her face, but Clem was determined to leave. They obviously didn't want to be burdened with her, and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to be around them, anyways.

She reached the door to the closet that she knew held a trapdoor; her way out. Clem looked up at the door, gritting her teeth. She reached up and grabbed the doorknob with both hands and pulled.

Nothing happened.

The door was stuck; she'd have to pull a lot harder to open it. Clementine pulled herself up, balancing on her left leg. Her leg and arm were bleeding now, it wouldn't take long for the bandages to completely soak through. She couldn't leave them a trail to follow...

Clem took a little breath, twisted the knob again, and pulled.

Good news: the door opened. Bad news: The blow knocked her back, and without her second leg to catch herself, she went down hard, banging her stump on the floor as she fell.

Clementine cried out in pain, tears blurring her vision. Damn, that _hurt. _Unable to stop herself, Clem began to sob. She was hurting so _badly_, and she was exhausted and scared, and this was all so _unfair!_

She hear the footsteps she knew would come and curled in on herself, tucking her injured arm close to her chest and pulling her stump close to her body.

"Clementine? What the hell happened?" It was Luke. He didn't sound angry, which was good. He sounded worried, confused, and a little scared.

"Were you trying to sneak out?" That was Nick, and he _did_ sound angry. She heard more footsteps, and Alvin and Rebecca came into view.

Clem took a shaky breath and looked up at Luke, scowling through her tears.

"What does it l-look like?" She demanded. Clem tried to feel angry or defensive, but instead she just felt bitter and empty. "I'm _leaving,_ s-so you guys don't have t-to worry about a _cripple_."

Rebecca flinched. Good.

"I...I didn't..."

"Save it." Clem didn't want to hear her apologies. "I'm just a burden. You probably w-would've been better off if that walker had k-killed me." Her voiced cracked, and Clementine broke down again.

Luke shot a look over at Nick, Alvin, and Rebecca, signaling that they should go. They did, each with varying ranges of emotion. Luke could tell that he'd have to straighten things out, but first he needed to take care of Clementine.

Sighing, Luke gently gathered Clementine into his arms, lifting her bridal style and carrying her back to the couch. Clem didn't fight him. She was physically, mentally, and emotionally drained, her desire for escape gone. Luke eased her back onto the couch, covering her with the blanket.

"Clementine... I'm sorry.." Luke ran a hand through his hair. "We shouldn't have treated you like we did. I hope someday you can forgive us."

When she didn't answer, Luke rose to his feet, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Right. I'll just, go now... just holler if you need anything." The young man left, retreating to the kitchen.

Clementine cried herself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Hi guys, not much to say except thanks so much for all the wonderful comments! Hope you like this chapter, it's over three thousand words long!

**Rated T for:** Cursing, violence, amputation, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter three of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Three**

"Ow... _ow_, ouch!"

"Sit still."

"Ahg! That _hurts!_"

"Of course it does, your leg got amputated yesterday."

"You _could_ be a little more gentle..."

"You could be a little more appreciative."

Clementine sighed, looking away as Carlos finished removing her old bandages. She didn't want to see what her leg looked like. All she could imagine was a splintered bone sticking out of red irritated flesh, with shredded little bits of sinew hanging like cobwebs-

Clem bit back a scream as Carlos cleaned the wound with more disinfectant, gripping the couch cushion so hard her knuckles turned white. She breathed heavily through her nose, teeth clenched as the doctor worked.

"You know, you're still in a bad spot with some of us." Carlos told her, beginning to wrap the wound with new bandages. "I wish you wouldn't have done what you did. Not everyone's sure if you're trustworthy."

Clementine snorted.

"Carlos, don't beat around the bush. I can tell you don't trust me."

The doctor paused, smiling bitterly.

"Alright then, I'll be direct." Carlos's expression darkened. "I don't want you anywhere near Sarah, understand?"

Clem frowned.

"Sarah? What does she have to do-"

"You convinced her to steal from us!" Carlos closed his eyes, inhaling slowly. "My own daughter..." Shaking his head, he looked back at Clementine. "You have to understand, Sarah isn't like you."

Clementine quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, she's got _two_ legs, so..."

"That's not what I meant." Carlos pinched the bridge of his nose. "You may not get it initially, but once you're around her for a while you'll understand. If she knew how bad the world is... what it's really like out there.. she would cease to function."

Clementine tilted her head, her expression growing serious. It hadn't occurred to her that people like Sarah still existed. She didn't know how anyone could have made it this far with their innocence intact. Sarah would have to grow up sometime, since Carlos wouldn't always be there to protect her, but Clem didn't want to get into any more trouble with him.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know."

"It's alright." Carlos continued bandaging her leg. "You are forgiven. But don't make any more mistakes."

Clementine's face darkened.

"This was my last one." She said, gesturing to her stump. "Trust me, I'm not making any more."

Carlos faltered for a moment, the bandages sliding through his fingers. He quickly recovered himself and finished securing the fabric, standing to leave.

"Sorry, I'll... I'll just go."

"Wait!"

Clem grabbed his arm.

"Can I have some painkillers? _Please?_" She fluttered her eyelashes, giving him the puppydog eyes. "It hurts like hell, and I don't want to spend all day sitting here in agony."

Carlos sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm not so sure..."

"Fine, then I'll just bug you all day.."

"They'll make you drowsy. If something happens, you won't be able to handle yourself, and I'm not going to babysit you-"

"I'll watch her."

Clam and Carlos both looked up to see Luke standing in the doorway, holding a bowl of food.

"If you don't mind, that is." Luke explained, moving to the other couch. Carlos studied him for a moment.

"Is that for her?" He asked, gesturing to the bowl. Luke nodded. "Good. She'll need something in her stomach if I'm going to give her painkillers. Luke, Clementine, don't make me regret this, alright?"

Clem and Luke both nodded.

"Fine. I'll go get the pills." Carlos retreated upstairs, mumbling under his breath.

Luke handed Clem the bowl, which seemed to be full of some kind of oatmeal or porridge. She took it gratefully, her stomach growling. Clem hadn't eaten in days. As she began to eat, Luke cleared his throat.

"Hey, uh... I'm sorry, about what happened, Clementine." He said sincerely. Clementine didn't look up from her bowl.

"It's fine... better than being dead, isn't it?" She replied shortly.

"Yeah, I guess... I mean, _yes_, it is, I just..." Luke shook his head. "You're tough as nails."

Clem glanced at Luke.

"I know." She answered simply, secretly pleased at the compliment. "And... it wasn't entirely your fault. The walker got in through the hole I made. Then again, I wouldn't've had to make the hole if you guys hadn't put me in the shed in the first place..."

"Let's go back to 'it wasn't your fault'." Luke said quickly.

"Not _'entirely'_ your fault." Clementine corrected him.

"Uh, yeah... right." Luke looked crestfallen, until he saw that Clementine was smiling. "You're never gonna let this go, are you?" He grinned.

"Well, it's not like I can just grow another leg."

"Oh, right..." Luke's face fell.

"God, Luke, I'm just messing with you!" Clementine laughed. She returned to her food as Luke scowled, his face flushing. He was about to reply when Carlos returned, holding a small bottle of pills and a glass of water.

"Here." Carlos handed her the water as he fished a pill out of the bottle. "You only need one; two would overdose and kill you."

"Good to know." Clem took the smooth white pill and swallowed it. "How long will it take to work?" She asked anxiously. Ever since she woke up, her leg hadn't stopped throbbing painfully.

"A half hour at the most." Carlos answered. "You'll start to feel strange, like what some would call 'loopy', but it will help with the pain. Luke," He addressed the younger man. "I'm trusting you to watch her. I don't want any problems. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Luke replied, giving Carlos a two-finger salute.

Carlos rolled his eyes.

"I'll be outside on watch if anyone needs me. Which they _shouldn't_." He gave Luke a pointed look before leaving through the front door.

Luke returned his attention to Clementine, who had finished eating.

"Feel any different?" He asked, taking her empty bowl.

"It's been two seconds, Luke. I'll let you know when I start hallucinating." Clementine scoffed.

"Okay," Luke said, completely missing her sarcasm. "I'll be right back." Giving her a quick smile, he vanished through the kitchen door.

Clem sighed and leaned back on the couch, letting her eyes rest. She couldn't wait until her leg was better, (or at least not as bad) so she could start learning how to walk and move around. And the absence of pain would be nice, too.

She hear footsteps and opened her eyes. Nick was standing at the bottom of the stairs. He caught her eye and smiled halfheartedly.

"Hey."

"Hi."

Nick rubbed the back of his neck.

"Look, um... I just wanted to say I'm sorry for... well.. being a dick out there." He apologized. "I got kinda aggro and that was definitely not cool."

Luke reappeared from the kitchen, moving back to his spot on the couch.

"Nick's been known to go off every once in a while." He commented, quick to vouch for Nick. "Don't hold it against him."

"You were just protecting your friends." Clem answered. "I get it."

Nick looked relieved.

"I didn't mean to be so harsh... I just.. we had a bad experience once." He glanced away, and Clementine noticed Luke look up at him, his expression hard to read.

"We've all had bad experiences." Clementine agreed solemnly. Nick's eyes rested on Clem's leg for a millisecond before he nodded. The room was silent for a moment before Luke spoke up.

"Nick lost his mom. We took care of someone who'd got bit."

Clementine thought of the conversation she'd overheard in the kitchen.

_'Don't you remember the last time we took care of someone who-'_

_'Of course I remember! But she's not gonna turn, so shut the hell up about it, alright?'_

She was brought back to the present by Nick's voice.

"It was my fault, I-"

"It was no one's fault." Luke said gently. "We thought we could control it, but... we couldn't. And then she turned, and his mom was standing right there and she got attacked... there was nothing we could do about it."

An image flashed through Clementine's mind. She was back at the motel. Lee and Mark had just returned with Ben and his unconsious teacher. She watched as they put him in the back of a pick up and Katjaa tried to save him, but he bled out. And then...

Then he turned and he had Katjaa. Lee saved her, but then it was after Lee.. Mark ran in with an axe and-

"Anyway, hopefully you understand."

Clementine blinked away the memory.

"I do, yeah." More than they would ever know...

Nick gave her an appreciative smile before leaving through the kitchen. Clem let her eyes close of their own accord. She could feel the medicine beginning to affect her. The couch felt very warm, and even though it was early in the day she felt like she could sleep for hours.

"So... what happened to your parents..?" Luke inquired hesitantly. "If you don't mind me asking."

Clementine looked up at him but remained silent.

"I mean, I assume what happened to them is what happened to just about everyone's parents." Luke scratched the back of his head. "You're just so young... didn't think you could've made it on your own for so long... but maybe you did." He shrugged nonchalantly, but there was a seriousness in his voice telling her he believed it.

"They died." Clementine knit her brows together. "They left me with a babysitter and never came back. I found them, after a long time, but they were already dead. At least I didn't have to see it happen. I think they died when everyone started dying. They survived as walkers longer than a lot of people I knew. They might still be alive- you know, dead-alive." Her limbs were beginning to feel tingly, the pain in her stump ebbing ever so slightly.

Luke opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't find the right words to say.

"I... I'm sorry, I uh, I shouldn't've asked." He said finally. "You feelin' okay?"

Clem nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Like I'm floating. Maybe on a boat." She held her hands up and mimicked the motion of waves. "Up and down and up and down, really gently."

Luke chuckled. He could tell she was feeling the affects of the painkillers. That was good, but she would probably be acting strangely for a while.

The front door opened and Pete walked in, holding a long walking stick in his hands. Luke shot him a questioning look.

"Well, I was thinkin' that Clementine could use this to help her get around, at least 'till she finds somethin' better." Pete explained. He glanced at Clementine, who was drawing invisible pictures in the air. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Luke smiled. "She's on some painkillers."

"Ah... I see." Pete nodded, sitting down on the couch beside Luke. "Hey, Clementine. It's me, Pete. You remember me?"

Clem studied Pete's face intently. Her sleepy amber eyes trailed to the smooth walking stick in his hands.

"He's got a snake in his hands." She observed. "Don't get bit."

Pete shared an amused look with Luke.

"No, it's just a stick. A walking stick, actually, for you." Pete told her, leaning the stick against the couch. Clementine's brows furrowed.

"I don't want a snake." She complained. "I don't care if it walks."

Pete shook his head, smiling.

"I'll explain it to her again later." He decided. "I'm gonna grab a bite. Want anything?"

"I'm good, thanks." Luke replied. Pete nodded and walked into the kitchen. Clem watched him go, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Where's Larry going?" She asked. Luke raised an eyebrow.

"Larry? Clementine, that's Pete." He tilted his head to the side.

"Oh. Okay." Clem licked her lips methodically, a curious expression growing on her face. "I can taste salt." She informed Luke.

"Great." He couldn't help but smile at her face. Clementine shook her head.

"It's gross."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don' be sorry, s'not your fault."

Pete and Nick returned from the kitchen. Clem watched them sit back down on the couch, her head lolling to the side lazily.

"Wow, she's really out of it, isn't she?" Nick noticed.

"Yeah, but it's for the better. She was in a lot of pain." Luke sighed.

"Poor kid." Pete smiled sadly. "Can't imagine going through what she did at her age..."

"What's she doing?" Nick tilted his head.

The men turned their attention to Clementine, who was slowly lifting her hands. She stared at them, her eyes wide and intense, before turning slowly to Luke, her lips parted slightly.

"Am I dead?" She asked wonderingly.

"No, Clementine," Luke chuckled softly. "You're not dead."

"Damn..." Clem muttered, letting her hands fall to her sides. "I wouldn't mind bein' dead. I know a lot more dead people than living people. Got a lot more friends up there than down here."

Luke's smile vanished. He turned and looked at Nick, who's expression mirrored his own.

"Clementine..."

"The first one up there was Sandra, m'babysitter." Clem recalled. "She was th'first person I saw turn. I hid in my tree house for years. Three days!" She exclaimed suddenly, correcting herself. "Then it was Shaun. He was workin' on a tractor when they got him. Actually, he was working on a fence, _under_ the tractor. They came out through the corn field." Her hand crept up to her neck. "Then it was Doug. He was nice. They came through the windows of the pharmacy and pulled him out."

"Clementine!" Luke was growing increasingly uncomfortable. "You don't have to-"

"Wait, I need to finish! I need to remember everyone who's gone!" Clem protested deliriously.

"But.."

"Then it was Ben's teacher." Clementine continued. "Didn't know his name. Lee chopped his foot off with an axe, but he died and came back. Mark hit him with the axe. And Mark... the cannibals got Mark."

Luke's eyes widened. Pete and Nick exchanged looks.

"Bandits shot an arrow into him and Brenda said she'd take care of him. But Lee found Mark with his legs off, and we were eating him for dinner! I didn't, though. Lee stopped me." She smiled faintly. "Then in the freezer, Larry died and Kenny dropped a salt lick on his head."

She suddenly turned and locked eyes with Luke, who felt his heart jolt.

"Don't... lick salt licks. They taste nasty." Relaxing, Clem leaned back against the couch. "Then Lee killed all the St. Johns. Danny got a pitchfork, right here-" She placed her hand on her heart. "Technically, Mark came back and got Brenda, and Brenda prob'ly got Andy. Doesn't matter, they're dead now anyways..."

"My god..." Nick breathed. "There's no way...?"

Luke could only shake his head.

"Then Lilly shot Carley, an' we left Lilly on the road. She might be alive. She might not be." Clementine shrugged. "Duck was bit, but Katjaa went first. She shot herself, cause she couldn't shoot her kid. Kenny had to shoot his kid, though." She frowned . "Duck was nice. We drew pictures together. We found Chuck on the train. Chuck was much older than Duck; older than everyone, I guess. He played guitar. But we lost him in Savannah. The bells were ringing, and the walkers came."

Suddenly she sat up.

"Zombies." Clementine said. "How come it's that no one ever calls 'em zombies? Walkers, lurkers, Molly called 'em geeks. But never zombies. That's what they are, though. Weird." She settled back down again.

"I wasn't here for the next one. I was taken by a man and his wife. Well, his wife's head, anyways... he kept it in a bowling ball bag. Don't know why. It'd be hard to bowl with a head." Clem's eyes grew unfocused. "Christa and Omid told me that Ben fell on a pole." She put a hand on her stomach and pushed outward. "Lee and Kenny tried to save 'im, but then they got Kenny. They think Kenny shot Ben before they got him, but those greedy assholes took Kenny anyways." She rambled. "Then Lee saved me, but he was already bit, see?" Her expression grew sad.

"I shot him.." Clementine slowly made a handgun. "So he wouldn't turn."

She fell silent, leaving Pete, Luke, and Nick horrified.

"Damn.."

"Oh my god..."

"That's terrible."

"What's terrible?" The men looked up to see Rebecca. She glanced at Clementine with distaste. "She's still here?"

Luke narrowed his eyes.

"C'mon, leave the kid alone. She's been telling us these things... what happened to her-"

"Do I look like I give a shit?" Rebecca interrupted. "It doesn't matter what she's been through, she's still-"

"Omid got shot." Clem said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her. "By a girl a little older than Sarah, I think. She was just after me, but Omid tried to sneak up on her... it didn't work. Christa came in and shot the girl." She mimed shooting a gun. "Omid died."

"What the hell is she on about?" Rebecca demanded.

"She's on some painkillers, and she's talking about her past.." Nick shook his head grimly.

"So we're wasting more medicine on her?"

"It was one goddamn pill, Rebecca! Let it go!" Pete snapped.

"Rebecca?" Clementine looked up at the woman in confusion. She raised her eyebrows. "You remind me of Christa. Except Christa lost _her_ baby. It was her and Omid's; after he died she lost the baby. We never named it. He wanted to call it Omid Junior."

Rebecca was taken aback, her mouth moving soundlessly.

"I think there's only... three people I know who might still be alive; Lilly, Glenn, a- and- and- Christa." Clem counted on her fingers. "I don't really count Lilly as a friend, cause she.. shot Carley and all, and... I didn't know Glenn too well. He went up to the city. I hope Christa's alive, she's... really my only friend." She turned to face Luke and spread her hands.

"So, you see? More... more _dead_ friends than living. I- I don't know if I count you guys, yet, so the dead win. The dead always win." Satisfied, Clementine let out a yawn. "I think I'm gonna... sleep, now." She announced, her eyes closing.

Rebecca went back upstairs without another word. Pete excused himself outside and Nick retreated to the kitchen.

Luke exhaled slowly, holding his head in his hands.

"What the hell has this world come to?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Greetings, readers! Thanks for all who reviewed, I'm really happy you guys are enjoying it. The chapters might be a little short from here on out. Since I'm following the Season 2 story arc, I don't want to catch up to the game too quickly, because then I'd have to wait for Episode 4 to come out before writing the next chapter. So we'll try quality over quantity.

**Rated T for:** Cursing, violence, amputation, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter four of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Four**

Clementine leaned on the walking stick, breathing heavily as sweat beaded on her forehead.

Even though she'd gotten a good rest, and the painkillers had worked wonders, she was still in a bad condition. Clem knew she was malnourished, and the injury wasn't helping. It still hurt, and it had taken a lot out of her, literally _and_ figuratively.

"That's it, you've got it."

Luke had stayed with her, like he promised, but he seemed odd now, like something had happened. Clementine could see this look in his eyes, sort of like pity, sympathy, empathy... whatever it was, it didn't make sense. Before, he'd felt bad for her, sure, but it was different now. She wanted to know why.

"When did you become my cheerleader?" Clem responded sarcastically, but she was secretly glad for the support.

"Sorry, I just.." Luke ran a hand through his hair. "It's just good to see you up and moving, that's all."

That was something Clementine agreed with. She was trying to get used to moving with the cane. It was like a one-handed crutch; she had to put it where she'd put her right foot and push off of it to go forward. It was awkward, and difficult, but Clem would feel immensely better knowing how to move around. She didn't want to be carried, or put in some kind of wheelchair, if they could even make one.

Clementine had developed a sort of rhythm. Slowly but surely she was making laps around the room, the walking stick thudding on the wooden floor. True, she didn't move too quickly, but Clem knew that would come with practice.

She paused and rested against one of the couches, absentmindedly running her thumb over the cane's smooth surface.

"Where's Pete?" She asked Luke. "I should thank him for making this. He did a really good job on it."

"He and Nick went out to check the fish traps." Luke answered. "It's a chore long overdue; it'd be great to have fish for dinner, huh?"

"Yeah," Clementine didn't care for fish; too slimy. But you couldn't be picky about food anymore. "It would. Hope they get back soon..."

Luke glanced outside the window, as if noticing the evening sun for the first time.

"You know..." He stood, eyebrows furrowing. "They left shortly after you fell asleep, and that was a few hours ago. Maybe I should go looking for them." Luke walked over to the base of the stairs, leaning on the bannister.

"Hey, everyone?" He called. "House meeting." Luke turned to Clementine. "Do you wanna, um...?"

"I'll hear it anyways." Clem said offhandedly. "Door's not exactly sound-proof, if you haven't noticed, and I'm not going upstairs."

Luke shrugged.

"Alright, I don't care either way." He replied, departing into the kitchen.

Clementine bit her lip, her grip on the walking stick tightening.

"Here we go..." She planted the cane on the ground and pushed off, taking little hops forward. _Of course_ the kitchen was on the other side of the room... Clem really wanted to get into the kitchen before someone came downstairs and saw her 'progress'.

Too late.

Footsteps heralded Alvin and Rebecca's arrival. The couple studied her briefly, Rebecca choosing to remain silent and go to the kitchen. Alvin lingered by the stairs, smiling kindly at Clementine.

"Need any help?" He asked.

"Nope." Clem responded shortly.

"You sure?"

"Yep."

"Okay then."

Sensing her slight hostility, Alvin took his leave just as Carlos came downstairs. Clem noticed Sarah wasn't with him and wondered whose decision it was to keep her out of the meeting.

"Are you going to be joining us?" Carlos sounded carefully neutral.

"Yes." Clementine was almost to the kitchen door. "Why?"

"No reason." Carlos reached the door before she did, doing what took her several minutes in less than five seconds. He held the door open for her, much to Clem's annoyance, but she didn't comment, deciding not to stir up trouble.

"Thanks.." She muttered, pulling herself through the doorway. Clementine's walking stick clacked against the tile floor. She came to stand beside Luke, leaning against the kitchen counters.

"Alright, everyone here? Good." Luke cleared his throat. "As you guys can probably tell, Pete and Nick haven't returned yet. The stream isn't too far away; they should be back by now. We need to send some people to go find them. I'll be going, of course."

"I'll go too." Alvin volunteered.

"We should leave right away." Luke said. "The rest of you, be on guard. If it's Carver, and he found them, then it won't take long for him to find us."

The mood in the room darkened, Rebecca in particular seeming upset.

"Be careful." She told Alvin. "If you guys don't find anything by sundown, get your asses back here and try again in the morning. You don't need to be out there at night, got it? _Especially_ if Carver's out there."

"I'll be fine, honey." Alvin reassured his wife, giving her a peck on the cheek. "We'll find them."

"Carlos," Luke addressed the doctor. "You know the drill. Anyone but us, or Nick or Pete knocks on that door, you know what to do."

Carlos nodded stiffly.

"Of course. Watch yourselves."

"You too."

"Who's Carver?"

Everyone turned to look at Clementine, who wore a confused and slightly annoyed expression. She didn't like being kept out of the loop.

"Well?"

Rebecca folded her arms and looked away, her jaw tightening. Alvin and Carlos exchanged glances as Luke studied Clementine carefully.

"Guys, I think she should know, if she's gonna stay with us." Luke said.

"Who said she was staying with us?" Rebecca grumbled.

"C'mon, Rebecca, you know as well as I do-"

"You guys have to trust me sooner or later..."

"It doesn't matter to me, go ahead and tell her."

"Your call, Luke."

Luke held his hand up for quiet. Oddly enough, everyone fell silent. Clem was more convinced than ever that Luke was their leader, or at least the closest thing they had to one. He turned to Clementine, his expression serious.

"I'm not gonna beat around the bush, Clementine, we're on the run." Luke told her. "From this guy, Carver. We used to be part of a community that he ran, but... well, we left, and he's been after us ever since, god knows why." The frustration in his voice told Clem that Luke felt responsible. "We haven't seen him in a while, but there's always the possibility he'll turn up."

Clementine nodded slowly.

"Okay then... well, thanks for telling me, I guess."

"Yeah." Luke's face turned grim. "Alright Alvin, we better get a move on. We're burnin' daylight."

The two men left. Rebecca retreated upstairs and Carlos moved out to the porch to keep watch. Clementine went back to the living room, deciding she should take this time to practice walking some more. When Pete got back, maybe he could help her attach something to the bottom of the cane to help 'keep her footing', so to speak.

Clem began making more laps around the room, the walking stick beating rhythmically against the floor.

* * *

After one hour, Clementine was tired and decided to rest on the couch.

After two hours, she began to grow worried.

After three hours, Rebecca came down and went outside to speak with Carlos. She wanted to go looking for them, but it was already too dark outside.

"My husband's still out there, Carlos, we have to-"

"You said it yourself, Rebecca, we shouldn't be out after dark."

"But what if something happened to them?"

"They probably just holed up somewhere for the night. We'll go search for them in the morning."

"Fine."

Rebecca came back inside, closing the door with a sigh. She looked up at Clementine, who was watching her from the couch. An unreadable emotion flashed across her face before she left up the stairs without a word.

That was confusing. It was no secret that Rebecca wanted Clem gone, or at least she used to. What had happened? Why were people treating her differently? Before, she was a liability, a variable, a risk. She was a stranger they couldn't trust who stole from them, and now she was a burden; a drain on their food and medicine.

What changed?

It wasn't the fact she lost her leg; they'd still been wary around her after that happened. Now, it almost seemed like... like they cared about her...

Clementine shook her head quickly. She couldn't start thinking like that. She didn't know these people, and they didn't know her. All she had to do was stick with them until she found Christa. Then everything would return to normal.

A phantom pain shot up Clem's right leg.

Well, almost normal.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Hi readers! Once again, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! In other news, Sarah and Clementine are going to be very close in this story, but not necessarily romantic. I'm not against the Clem/Sarah pairing, I just think that Clem's a bit young to feel anything other than a crush. Maybe when they're older it'll blossom into a relationship, but for now it's either a really good friendship or light friendshipping. However you want to interpret it is fine.

**Rated T for:** Cursing, violence, amputation, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter five of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Five**

As the sun began to peek through the windows, Clementine was woken by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

Rebecca looked tired; her eyes were red and underlined with dark circles. She glanced over at Clementine, her jaw tightening. Clenched in one hand was a rifle; the other hand resting gently, innocently, on her swollen belly.

"You're gonna go find them now?" Clem guessed.

"Yeah," Rebecca glanced away and back at the staircase. "If Carlos ever gets his ass down here... _Carlos!"_

"I'm coming!" The Spanish doctor appeared at the top of the stairs. "Are you all set to leave?"

"Of course! _I'm_ the one waiting for _you."_ Rebecca pointed out, tugging the front door open. "We gotta go."

"Alright, alright!" Grumbling, Carlos came down the stairs, loading his handgun. His gaze fell on Clem and his expression softened. "Clementine, can you... can you please watch Sarah?" He asked hesitantly.

Clem tilted her head to the side, knitting her brows together. The request was unexpected. Earlier, Carlos had told her to stay _away_ from Sarah...

"She's upstairs." Carlos continued, not noticing Clementine's hesitation. "Just distract her. And don't tell her anything!" He added quickly.

Don't tell her anything? How could Carlos think that keeping Sarah out of all of this would be good for her? He wasn't always going to be there for her. She _had_ to become capable. Clem's mind wandered to the train they'd ridden into Savannah. It was there that Lee had taught her to defend herself. It had been the first time Clementine had felt like she had any sort of control over her life. Learning to shoot had given her a sense of security that was nearly impossible to come by these days.

Didn't Sarah deserve the same?

She did. Clem knew she did. One day, Sarah would find herself in a situation where she'd only have herself to depend on. That was a fact. But Carlos couldn't accept that. He didn't _want_ to accept that. And Clementine knew that every day Sarah spent living in her own little world was another day closer to her death.

But Clem couldn't bring that up now. Things were tense enough, with half the group missing.

"I'll take care of her." Clementine told him. "You can trust me."

"Thank you." Carlos nodded, relieved. "Just don't open the doors for _anything_. You'll be safe inside. We'll be back soon." He promised.

Carlos and Rebecca left.

Clementine peered up the staircase at Sarah's bedroom door, rising to her feet (foot?) with a sigh. Walking stick in hand, she began the long trip upstairs.

* * *

"Say cheese!"

Clementine stumbled back from the doorway in surprise, nearly losing her balance as the camera flashed.

Sarah didn't seem to notice. The other girl was excitedly watching as the old camera spat out the developing photo. Clem blinked to clear the spots from her vision as her heart rate returned to normal.

"I found it under the house." Sarah explained. "There was all kinds of old stuff!"

Clementine remained silent as Sarah handed her the picture. She studied herself in the photo; tangled hair, hollow face, startled expression. Her eyes were wide but already on guard, and she could see that her fist had tightened around her walking stick, like she was about to bludgeon something.

"It's so cool!" Sarah exclaimed, grinning. "Take one of me!" The older girl held out the camera hopefully.

It seemed a bit juvenile to Clem; getting so excited over such a pointless thing. But a lot of small things were worth a lot more nowadays. Clementine thought of her torn photo of Lee, which sat crumpled up in her pocket. It didn't serve any purpose, except maybe fuel for a fire, but Clem already knew she could never burn it.

"Sure.." Clementine leaned back against the door and let her cane rest against the wall. Now that she was balanced, she took the camera and looked up at Sarah.

"Get me in a good pose, okay?" Sarah quickly brushed her hair back and smiled.

Clem held the camera up and snapped a picture. The little machine whirred and a rapidly lightning photo appeared.

It reminded Clementine of before. The girl in the snapshot seemed like she was worlds away from the life Clem knew. Sure, Sarah's hair was dirty, her clothes even more so, but there was something different about her face that created a sort of illusion, and held a willing suspension of disbelief.

It was her eyes, Clementine realized. Sarah's eyes still shone with childlike innocence and hope. They didn't speak of sleepless nights spent being hunted like prey, or the haunting guilt and self-doubt that came with making a life or death decision in a split second. Her eyes had not seen the world reduced to an empty husk of rubble and ash. She had not seen the living turn on each other like the dead; she'd never seen a human slaughterhouse or even come close to eating human flesh. Yes, Sarah had seen violence, and killing, but she had never been the one who pulled the trigger.

Sarah knew about the world, but she hadn't seen it all. She hadn't seen _anything._ Her eyes told Clementine that much.

Staring at the photo, Clem could almost imagine that Sarah was on a camping trip, smiling for the camera after a fun day of canoeing on the lake, or maybe mountain climbing.

"What's wrong?" Sarah's voice brought Clementine out of her musings. She realized her eyes had begun to water.

"Oh, nothing, I uh... I was just thinking." Her voice was hoarse. Clem smiled and handed Sarah the photo. "It's nice."

"Thanks." She didn't seem convinced. Sarah took the picture and set it down on a table, turning back to Clementine with a concerned expression. Her eyes flitted towards Clem's stump for half a heartbeat before she lifted her gaze to meet Clementine's.

"Does it hurt?" Sarah asked hesitantly. "Getting bitten?"

"Yeah." Clem responded immediately. "A lot."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked..."

"No, it's okay." The younger girl said quickly. "I guess it's good to talk about it."

"Really...?" Sarah bit her lip. "I just... I can't imagine what it's like, you know... not having a leg.."

"It's definitely weird." Clementine agreed. "Sometimes.. I forget it's not there."

"I don't know if I could've done what you did." The fifteen-year old's voice was soft. "You're really tough, and brave.."

"Thanks, I get that a lot."

_'Don't be afraid of him, honey. You're smart. He isn't. You're smarter than all of them.'_

_'You can take care of yourself, see?'_

_'You're strong, Clem. You... you can do anything.'_

_'Okay Lee... I can do it. I can...'_

"Clementine?"

"Hm?" Clem blinked, looking up at Sarah.

"Um, where's my dad?"

Clementine inhaled slowly, trying to think of how to answer that question. Carlos had told her not to say anything, but she already knew that wasn't an option. Still, she didn't want to scare Sarah.

"He'll be fine." She smiled reassuringly.

"Are you sure?" Sarah asked.

Clem hesitated, her expression darkening. She didn't want to make empty promises. Not only were Pete and Nick missing, but Luke and Alvin as well, and it was too early to say if Carlos and Rebecca would be okay. She didn't know this group very well, but she knew they were tough, and for all of them to disappear like that...

Sarah took her silence badly. She turned away from Clementine, breathing heavily.

"Sorry, I- I just need to..." Sarah sank to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest as she continued taking calming breaths.

Clem lowered herself to the ground and sat beside Sarah, worry for the older girl gnawing at her. But she remained silent, hoping that Sarah would be able to work through this by herself. Clementine was beginning to understand why her father was so protective. It was no excuse, of course. Sarah would just need a little more help in becoming capable. If Carlos would just give her a chance...

Sarah finally glanced over at Clem and smiled.

"Want to see what I found?" She rummaged under one of the beds and brought out a sleek hand gun. "Will you teach me how to use it? I couldn't find any bullets."

Clementine eyed the gun, chewing the inside of her cheek. This was the kind of thing she imagined Carlos would definitely _not_ want her to do.

Screw Carlos.

"Okay... but it's not a toy." Her voice was serious now.

"I know." Sarah answered. Both girls stood, Clementine leaning on a table for balance.

"First, remember that it's just a thing."

"What does that mean?" Sarah held the gun up and peered through the scope.

"Um... I don't know." Clem admitted.

"I thought it'd be heavier..." Sarah mused, aiming the gun at the opposite wall. "Okay, what do I do?"

"The most important thing is, when you go to shoot," Clementine adjusted Sarah's hold on the gun. "Take a breath before you pull the trigger."

The older girl inhaled deeply.

"Not that big." Clem corrected gently. "And don't lock your elbows."

Sarah let the breath out, her arms relaxing as she pointed the gun at various things in the room.

"What should I shoot?" She turned suddenly to Clementine, who found the barrel of a gun mere inches from her face. She ducked instinctually, gripping the table for support.

"Don't do that!" Clem cried in alarm.

"S- Sorry! Sorry..." Sarah lowered the gun quickly, her eyes wide. "It's not loaded."

"I know that!" Clementine snapped.

Sarah glanced away, tears beginning to well in her eyes. Clem sighed, regretting her harsh tone. Sarah hadn't meant to cause any harm, she probably didn't see any reason to be cautious since the gun was empty.

"I'm sorry." Clementine said quietly, frustrated that she'd been so easily frightened.

"It's alright..." The older girl sniffled. "I d-didn't mean to..."

"I know." Clem pulled herself up. "It's just... I don't want you to be afraid of guns, but you also have to handle them very carefully. I don't want you getting into a bad habit of using guns carelessly, okay?" She explained gently.

"Okay, I get it." Sarah nodded. "I'll be more careful from now on."

"That's good." Clem smiled, relieved that she hadn't wrecked her already delicate friendship with the other girl.

"Maybe I could practice outside?" Sarah moved to the window. "There's that tree.."

Clementine retrieved her walking stick as Sarah scanned outside the window.

"Hey, Luke's back!" Sarah exclaimed suddenly.

Clem looked out the window to see for herself, but all she saw was a retreating shadow. Sarah stashed the gun back under the bed before heading downstairs. Clementine stared at the staircase, groaning inwardly, before beginning the laborious trip down.

She made it to the living room just in time to glimpse a figure walk by a window out of the corner of her eye. It looked like it could be Luke, but why would he be alone? Should'nt he have run into Carlos and Rebecca? Clem's heart was beginning to beat faster. She moved slowly, wishing her cane wasn't quite so loud.

Then she saw Sarah pressed against a wall, casting nervous glances towards the front door. Her wild, frightened eyes locked onto Clementine, and then she knew.

"That's not Luke."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Hello, everybody! Thanks for the reviews! A lot of you seemed really excited about Carver, so I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. I do have an announcement, though. **From now on I will be updating on Fridays. **Like I said earlier, I don't want to rush this story. Thanks for understanding!

**Rated T for:** Cursing, violence, amputation, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please enjoy Chapter Six! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Six**

Clementine's heart jolted.

"Clem... I think I know him." The panic in Sarah's voice was evident. There was a knocking at the door, and both girls jumped. "He can't see me. You have to make him go away." Sarah pleaded.

"Go and find somewhere to hide." Clementine ordered, blood rushing in her ears.

"Where?!"

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Hello...?" It was definitely not Luke. This man's voice was older, raspier...

"Clem, I can't breathe... I ca- I can't breathe...!" Sarah was starting to hyperventilate again.

"Shhh!" Clementine held a finger to her lip. "I'll take care of it."

The eleven-year old crept towards the front door, moving as quickly but quietly as she could. Her mind was racing. It could be anyone. A wandering stranger who happened upon their cabin. One of the bandits that had attacked her and Christa. Or Carver, the mystery man who had the group on the run.

Clementine's hand darted forward to turn the lock, but the man was faster, and opened it before she could.

The door swung open slowly.

The man was older, looking well into his forties. He was wearing a worn, brown jacket with matted fur around the collar, and his grizzled face was lined with stubble. His eyes were cold and calculating, even though he wore a pleasant expression.

"Hello there."

There was that gravelly voice again. He also had a slight southern accent.

Clementine studied him with narrow amber eyes, thinking of how to best handle the situation. She strongly doubted she even stood a chance against him in a fight; he was at least six feet tall and probably outweighed her by fifty pounds. She needed a weapon; one better than her walking stick.

"Hello." Clem responded, her tone and expression carefully neutral. She wouldn't resort to violence unless necessary.

His eyes strayed to her leg, which was hard to hide when she stood in the doorway. Something changed in his face, and it wasn't sympathy. He was adding another advantage he had over Clementine to the list.

"How are ya?" The man asked.

"Okay. How are you?" Clem knew they were making small talk around the real question; why was he here?

"Well I'm doin' just fine, thank you." He replied warmly. Clementine couldn't help but notice the gun at his hip. "My family and I are set up a ways down river. I'm... kinda surprised we haven't run into each other yet. What's your name?"

Clem didn't believe any of it for a second.

"What's _your_ name?" She countered evenly.

He chuckled.

"My name is George, honey." The man told her. He offered Clementine his hand, which she pointedly ignored, looking up at him with a quirked eyebrow. "Pleasure to meet you." An edge of sarcasm crept into his voice before his friendly expression dropped. "Mind if I come in for a bit?" George walked in, forcing Clem back a few steps.

"Yes, I _do_ mind." Clementine shot back, not bothering to hide her hostility anymore. "You need to leave, _now._"

George ignored her, his hard gaze sweeping across the living room. After a couple moments, he turned back to Clem, his face soft again.

"This is a nice place." The man said appraisingly. "Is there anyone else around? You don't usually see cabins this big around here."

The question immediately sent up red flags. Clementine didn't know this man; claiming she was alone was as good as signing her death warrant. She decided to try and intimidate him by bluffing.

"We have a big group." She answered, which wasn't entirely untrue. "Lots."

"Oh? How big?"

"Dozens." Clem said, her grip on her cane tightening. "They'll be back really soon."

"And they left you here, all alone?" George didn't seem convinced. "They must trust you. Lots." The corners of his mouth turned up in a sneer.

Clementine didn't respond, her lips pressed into a thin line. The man held her glare for a couple seconds before he cleared his throat.

"Well, I'll cut to the chase; I'm out looking for my people." He said gruffly. "Seven of them to be exact. They've been gone a long while, and... I'm worried they might've gotten lost. Maybe you've seen 'em? Couple of farm boys and an old man... Spanish guy and his daughter. Quiet girl, bit taller than you."

Clementine's heart plummeted. It _was_ Carver.

"A big black guy." He continued. "And a pretty little pregnant lady."

Hearing Carver talk about her new companions made her skin crawl. Clem looked up at him distrustfully, desperately hoping that Luke would walk through the door right now and get her out of this mess. But she was on her own here, and she had to protect them.

"That's a lot of people to lose." Clementine said cooly.

"Tell me about it." Carver agreed. "This whole damn thing's a pain in the ass." He scowled, looking around the room like he expected someone to jump out at him. Carver brushed past Clem into the kitchen, leaving her no choice but to follow.

He scanned the empty kitchen in disdain, obviously hoping to find some sign of his fugitives. Carver's gaze came to rest on the dirty dishes crowding the sink.

"Well, looks like a damn tornado ran through here." He noted. "Must be like, close to ten people with you?"

Clementine leaned against one of the counters, irritation surging through her.

"More." She insisted stiffly.

Carver grunted, still searching the room for some sort of clue. Clementine's gaze fell on a kitchen knife sitting innocently on the counter across from her. It was a long shot; even with the knife she wasn't sure she could take him. Carver had a gun. But still, something was urging her to take the chance. She would feel much better with some way to defend herself. Could she get it without him noticing?

But before Clementine could act on her thoughts, Carver caught her eyeing the knife and darted forward, grabbing it before she could even move. He was faster than he looked. Carver turned to Clem, displeasure written across his face.

"Where does this go?" He asked steadily.

Clem didn't respond, her composure wavering. Why wouldn't he just leave? A small part wanted to make a break for it, but she knew she could never be fast enough. Besides the fact, Sarah was still somewhere in the house. If Clementine ran, then Carver would surely find her. Then what would happen?

Carver tossed the knife into a drawer and slammed it shut, making Clem jump. He shifted his gaze to her and raised an eyebrow.

"How'd you lose that leg, honey?" He asked bluntly.

Clementine bristled, her fingernails digging into the walking stick.

"What do you think happened?" She spat. "I cut it off just for kicks?"

"It was just a simple question." Carver's eyes flashed dangerously. "You should be a little more respectful."

"You should just mind your own damn business!" Clem retorted. "Now get out of my house!"

"You know," He continued calmly, ignoring her completely. "A prosthetic would be better than a cane."

Clementine grit her teeth.

"I dunno, this makes a pretty good weapon." She said, her voice low.

Carver narrowed his eyes at her thinly-veiled threat.

"I'm just sayin' that you could easily be knocked over." He shrugged casually. "You're already at a disadvantage, bein' a little girl and all, but now you're practically useless, huh?"

Clem flinched like she'd been hit. Carver knew he had struck a nerve.

"Just shut up." She growled. "You don't know me. You don't know what I'm capable of."

Carver just smirked and pushed past her back into the living room.

"Well this is a real nice place." He smiled, quickly reverting back to his kind demeanor. "Kinda cozy." Looking around, Carver caught sight of an old flannel shirt crumpled on the sofa. "I knew a guy that always wore shirts like this." He said, gesturing to the shirt. "Doctor. Real smug son of a bitch."

"Sounds like you really miss him." Clementine said sarcastically, still seething from his earlier comment. "What's his name?"

Carver turned to her, studying her expression carefully.

"Carlos." He said.

Clem swallowed her panic and kept her composure, maintaining a disinterested appearance. Carver went back to scanning the room, taking interest in a game of chess lying out on the coffee table.

"Well, well... white's in trouble." He noted. "Three moves away from checkmate."

Out of the corner of her eye, Clementine saw movement and glanced up to see Sarah climbing the stairs, her eyes wide with fear behind her red glasses. Carver hadn't seen her yet. Clem quickly turned her gaze away from the other girl so as not to give her away.

"You play chess?" She asked Carver, hoping to keep his attention away from Sarah.

"Sure do." The man answered, turning to Clementine. "You?"

"No, not really." She said, shrugging. "I never learned."

"Well, now that's a real shame." Carver folded his arms, eyes straying to the board again. "It's an enjoyable game. Time consuming, but rewarding. Good for the mind." He returned his focus to Clem. "Surely there's someone in your group who can teach you?"

She forced a small smile.

"Yeah, maybe..."

_Thump._

"What was that?"

Clementine heard the noise from the second floor and resisted her first impulse to glance at where Sarah was hiding. Carver shot her a questioning look, and she shrugged. The man moved to the foot of the staircase just in time to see the door to Sarah's bedroom close.

"I thought you said nobody was here." He said accusingly.

"Nobody _is_ here!" Clem insisted, her heart beginning to race.

Carver scowled, drew his gun, and started creeping up the staircase. Clementine's breathing hitched. She quickly followed him, thumping her cane on the floor a little louder than necessary in a desperate effort to warn Sarah.

"Keep it down, will ya?" Carver whispered.

"Sorry." She gave him a helpless smile. "Can't help it."

"Stay down here, then."

"No. It's my house, remember?"

Grumbling, Carver reached the second floor hallway and glanced around, seeing all the doors open but one. Finger on the trigger, he nudged the door open with his foot and pushed into the room, gun first.

It was empty.

Carver lowered his gun, scanning the room as Clem caught up to him. She quickly looked around for Sarah, catching sight of the older girl's jacket sleeve underneath one of the beds. Now she knew where Sarah was, and Carver was too tall to see her without intentionally checking under the bed. She just hoped he would leave before it came to that.

"See? I told you no one's here." Clementine leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms.

"Seems that way." Carver grudgingly slipped his gun back into the holster. "Didn't mean to be rude. Couldn't just leave you here with a good conscience if someone was pokin' around, right?"

"But _you're_ poking around." Clem pointed out. "How do you think this would look if my group caught you?"

Carver turned to her, brows furrowing.

"I don't like being threatened." He said plainly.

"I don't like strangers barging in and searching my house without permission." She shot back.

Carver snorted.

"Alright, fair enough." He started to leave, but something caught his eye. Carver stooped over to pick it up. "Who's this?" He asked, holding up the photo of Sarah.

Clementine felt her stomach drop. How could she have been so careless? They told her they were on the run, why did she take Sarah's picture?

"I don't know." She responded with a shrug. "Maybe someone who lived here before. We haven't been here too long."

Carver studied her, obviously not convinced. His eyes were unsettling, but Clem refused to fold. She set her jaw, glaring at him defiantly.

"Lemme ask you this. When you met 'em, how much did they trust you?"

Clementine's mind shot back to the shed. She vividly remembered the panic clawing at her as the door slid shut. All the fear and hopelessness eating away at her until there was nothing left but pain and desperation, and the need to survive. She could feel her arm beginning to throb at the memory of those stitches she'd sewn, she smelled the blood and disinfectant and it was sickening.

They left her in the shed to die, and it almost happened, too.

The walker bit her. It bit her because she was in the shed, because _they_ put her there. It was her fault for making the hole, but she didn't have a choice. Or did she? Her mind strayed to the harsh words Rebecca had directed at her, telling Clem she could've left, _you could've just left!_ Could she? She wouldn't have made it. Hungry, hurt, exhausted... the infection would've killed her if the walkers didn't.

It took her leg. One second she was stitching her arm, and then the bandages, _the goddamn bandages_, they fell and then the walker was ripping at her leg.

But she was alive, wasn't she? It could've been so much worse. And they were looking after her now. Did they trust her? They didn't, before. But Carlos left her with Sarah, didn't he? So many doubts flooded Clementine's mind that she felt like she was drowning.

A cruel, satisfied smile made its way across Carver's face.

"That's what I thought." He said. "If people don't trust you, how can you trust them?"

Breathing heavily through her nose, Clem bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming. Carver was more dangerous than she'd thought. He knew people. He knew what buttons to push and which threads to pull to unravel someone. Carver had yanked the rug out from under her. All her doubts and insecurities had resurfaced, and she hated it.

"Well, I think I've troubled you long enough. I can let myself out."

Clementine stepped aside as Carver passed her, unsure of how she felt. She should feel relieved, and she was, but there was too much uncertainty. She rushed out to the hallway as Carver headed towards the front door, one hand gripping the railing, the other one, her cane.

"Why shouldn't I trust them?"

Carver looked up at her and smiled.

"You have a real good day, now."

The front door shut. Clem swallowed, immediately regretting her outburst. She just admitted she was with them, though he seemed to believe that from the start. She wished he had never come here. Everything was confusing now, she didn't know what side she was on.

There was a rustling behind her. She turned to see Sarah pulling herself out from under the bed. Both girls moved to the window.

"Where is he?" Sarah asked, her voice trembling.

"He's gone." Clementine's voice was hollow.

"What is he comes back?"

Clem's face darkened as she thought about all the little comments Carver had made that had dug their way under her skin. Little things he picked up on; her insecurities about her leg and what it meant for her, her doubts about the group, and perhaps the resentment she felt toward them for setting off the chain of dominoes that led to her getting bitten.

A deep, seething hatred settled around Clementine's heart. She's never felt such loathing for anyone in her entire life.

"Then I'll make him wish he hadn't."


	7. Chapter 7

******Author's Note: **Greetings, readers! Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. I have a favor to ask. In both the playthroughs I've been watching for S2, Alvin has died at the Ski Lodge. Can anyone point me to a playthrough where Alvin lives until Episode 3? I know he dies anyway, but I have to see both options before making a decision in my writing.

**Rated T for:** Cursing, violence, amputation, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter seven of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump **

**Chapter Seven**

Sarah sat across from Clementine, her legs crossed and her hands folded neatly in her lap.

She was still anxious, Clem could see that much. The way Sarah was sitting rigidly to stop herself from fidgeting. How her eyes would meet for only a second before flitting away. The older girl was too quiet. Clementine didn't mind silence, but it made Sarah uncomfortable, and she had yet to try and start a conversation.

It had been an hour since Carver's visit. Clem had locked all the doors and drawn the curtains shut, keeping the empty gun Sarah found by her side. It wasn't loaded, but if Carver came back, he wouldn't know that.

She glanced over at Sarah, who was staring blankly at the chessboard lying out on the coffee table.

"Do you know how to play?" Clementine asked, hoping to distract the other girl from her worries.

Sarah nodded stiffly.

"Do you... think you could, uh, teach me how...?" She ventured.

Sarah nodded again, but this time she smiled.

"Yeah, sure..." She began to move the pieces back to the starting positions. "These are all pawns." Sarah pointed at the shortest pieces. "They can move two spaces on their first turn, but after that they can only move one space at a time. They can only move forward, unless they can attack another piece diagonally." As she spoke, she assembled the pawns and demonstrated how they moved.

"They don't sound very useful." Clem said bluntly.

"Well, it's true that most of them are sacrificed to pave the way for the other pieces," Sarah admitted. "But sometimes, a strategically placed pawn can be the downfall of a king."

Clementine leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"What does the king do?"

"He can move one space in any direction."

"Not a very impressive king."

"Yeah." Sarah agreed. "The queen can move as far as she wants in any direction, except the L shape reserved for knights. She's basically the most powerful piece in the game."

"Sounds about right." Clem grinned. "What about this piece?"

Sarah spent the next half hour teaching Clementine how to play chess. The process would have gone quicker if the two girls hadn't gotten into a debate about what to call a rook. Sarah insisted that rook was the proper name, but Clem maintained that the piece was called a castle.

"It fits in with the whole kingdom theme." She pointed out. "King, queens, and knights live in_ castles._"

"Rooks got their name because they resemble the ancient Persian chariots called _rukhs, _which looked like moving fortresses." Sarah explained.

Clementine raised her eyebrows.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Read it in a book."

"Wow." Clem said, impressed. "You must read a lot."

"Whatever we can find." Sarah nodded.

"How's that book you're reading now?" The younger girl knit her brows together. "The one about the, um, time traveling shapeshifters?"

"Trans-dimensional body snatchers." Sarah corrected lightly.

"Oh, yeah." Clementine wracked her brain for the title. "The Googles, right?"

"The Gurgles." Sarah's gaze drifted from the chess board. Her eyes grew distracted, hands beginning to grow restless. Clem realized that she'd lost her, and her heart plummeted. Something must be bothering the older girl, and it bothered Clementine that she didn't know what.

"Clem, can I... ask you something?"

"Sure..." Clementine said slowly, studying Sarah carefully. There was an unfamiliar seriousness to the other girl's voice that unnerved her.

"Are we friends?"

"Of course we are, Sarah."

"Do you trust me?"

Clem hesitated. The question was one with a complicated answer. Trust was a hard word to define. If you trusted someone, that meant you knew they would always have your back. They were someone you could tell secrets to and know you won't be judged for it. They were someone you felt comfortable around, someone you knew would never hurt you, and you would never hurt them.

Did she have that with Sarah? Clementine wasn't sure.

"Because I don't think you do." Sarah continued bitterly. "I don't think you trust any of us."

Clem flinched at Sarah's accusatory tone.

"That's not true."

"Really? Because it didn't seem like that when Carver was here."

Clementine glanced away, remembering how she'd broken down and asked Carver why she shouldn't trust the group. Not only did she reveal their location to their most dangerous enemy, but she let him make her question everything and everyone. For the first time, she wondered what it was like for Sarah, hiding under that bed, listening to her start to doubt them, and buy into Carver's lies. That must have been hard to hear.

"Look, that was a... mistake. I doubted you guys, and myself, but-"

"But now you don't?"

That was also hard to answer. She didn't think the group would hurt her, not after what they'd done for her, but that didn't mean she trusted them.

"Yeah."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. There would always be doubts. The only thing that mattered was whether or not Clem listened to them. Sarah wouldn't understand. She didn't realize that trust had to be won over time; it wasn't a conscious decision. Clementine knew that it would come with time. One day she would trust them, but until then she could just... pretend.

Sarah gave her a long look, too hopeful for her own good. Clem could tell that she desperately wanted to believe her, to have a trusted friend that would always be there for her. There must have been some doubt lingering in the back of Sarah's mind, but she pushed it away, her desire for friendship winning over her instincts.

"Good."

Relaxing, Sarah smiled at Clementine, who smiled back, trying to push away her guilt. Sarah didn't need to know about her insecurities; she didn't need that in her life.

"We need to find the others." Clem said suddenly, realizing how long the group had been missing.

"We can't go outside!" Sarah objected.

Clementine grabbed her cane, raising an eyebrow at Sarah.

"I thought you said you trusted me?" She said wryly. Sarah bit her lip, following Clem into the kitchen. But just as they set foot on the tiled floor, the side door opened and Luke walked in, followed by Carlos.

"Clementine!" He exclaimed, surprised to see them.

"Sarah!" Carlos hugged his daughter.

Alvin and Rebecca were there as well, but Clem realized Pete and Nick weren't. She looked up at Luke questioningly.

"We didn't find Nick. But..." Luke sighed, shaking his head grimly. "We found Pete at the stream. He... he's dead."

Eyes wide, Clementine leaned against a counter, absently running a finger along her walking stick. She never got to thank him for making it.

"That's not all we found." If possible, Luke's expression grew even darker. "There were more bodies at the stream, all shot to pieces. We looked for some clue as to who did it, but we didn't find much. Just this." He held up a small backpack that Clem recognized.

"Hey, that's mine!" She exclaimed, brows furrowed in confusion. Luke raised his eyebrows. "My friend and I got attacked by bandits, remember? Who was it with?"

Luke rubbed the back of his neck, thinking.

"Um... some fella with dreadlocks, I think." He said. Clementine took the backpack gingerly, her heart sinking.

"He was one of the bandits." Her voice was trembling. "Did you... did you find a woman there? Dark skin, dark hair, wearing an orange jacket?"

Luke glanced over at Carlos.

"No... I don't think so." He told her honestly. Clem sighed in relief. Maybe Christa had escaped them and was heading North, like they planned. She slipped the backpack on. "We still need to find Nick."

"A man was here." Sarah said quietly, her head bowed.

"What?!" Carlos and Luke exchanged a look.

"What did she say?" Rebecca gripped her husband's arm.

"Someone came to the cabin." Sarah explained. "Clementine talked to him."

"I think it was Carver." Clem said darkly.

"What? And you just opened the door for him?!" Rebecca demanded.

"I told you not to open the door for anyone!" Carlos said accusingly.

"I didn't open the door!" Clem protested. "He came in on his own. I couldn't do anything." Her voice cracked on the last part, and she glanced away. She hated feeling useless.

"Look, Clem, just... tell us what he looked like." Carlos said. "What was he wearing? Did he sound... different?"

"His voice was... gravelly." Clementine recalled. "Deep, and scratchy.. he was wearing a brown coat. That was Carver, wasn't it?"

"He talked about you, dad." Sarah looked up at her father fearfully. "You're not going to hurt anyone, are you?"

"Of course he won't, Sarah, alright?" Luke said comfortingly. "Your dad's the nicest man I know, which is why he's not going to do anything crazy or... not nice, right?" He gave Carlos a pointed look.

Carlos put a hand on Sarah's shoulder, his expression solemn.

"You know these are bad people, sweetie. They will do or say anything to hurt us."

Clementine remembered how Carver could cause pain with words alone. He was like a rattlesnake, and his words were his venom.

"All right, what do you think?" Luke turned to Clem. "Did it seem like he'd be coming back?"

"He saw a picture of me." Sarah answered for her, holding up the photo.

Everyone stared at her.

"A picture?" Carlos demanded, snatching the photo from her. "What were you doing taking _pictures?!"_

"I took the picture." Clementine took the blame. "It's my fault."

"No, I asked her to, it's my fault." Sarah said quickly.

"Sarah..." Carlos sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. Sarah swallowed and stared at the floor. "He was scouting." Carlos turned to the others. "We got lucky. He wasn't expecting to find us. Clementine must have surprised him. If she hadn't been there..." He looked over at Clem, shaking his head. "Well, he was too smart to stick around. But he'll be back with the rest."

Clementine's heart jolted. Carver alone was bad enough. But if he came back with more people, and more guns...

"We don't have much time."

"He's right." Luke nodded, crossing his arms. "Everyone pack up. We're movin' out."

Alvin stormed out of the kitchen without a word, which surprised Clem. She knew everyone seemed to hate Carver, but she'd thought Rebecca would be the most upset. Rebecca followed after her husband, calling out to him. Clementine wondered what Carver had done to make them hate him so much. But then again, she hated him even though he just talked to her. Carver was just an easy man to hate.

Carlos knelt down to his daughter's level, his expression deathly serious.

"We have to leave now, sweetie, before he comes back with more bad guys." He told her. "But it's gonna be okay. Let's just go get your things."

"Why did you leave his camp?" The question had been burning in Clem's mind ever since Carver left.

"Because we had to." Carlos said bitterly. "Clem, I don't know what he told you, but William Carver is a dangerous man. He is the leader of a camp not far from here, and he is very smart. We were... lucky to escape."

There was a lot Carlos had left unsaid, but his meaning was plain enough. Going back to Carver was not an option.

"Look, I'm sorry to involve you, but now that he's seen you, you'll be safer with us." Carlos studied her. "Is that alright?"

"Yeah." Clementine hadn't planned on leaving them anyways. She was tough, but she was realistic, too. A crippled eleven year-old, on her own, wandering aimlessly around a forest full of bandits, walkers, and Carver? She wouldn't last a week.

Carlos nodded before leaving with Sarah to go pack. Clem didn't have anything to bring, except the backpack Luke had recovered and her walking stick. She looked up at Luke, realizing how upset he seemed.

"What... what are you going to do about Nick?" She asked. Luke sighed, rubbing his temples like he was warding off a headache.

"I... I don't know. We have no idea where he is, or if he's even alive, and with Carver on our trail we can't stick around to look. I can't endanger the group by staying." He glanced away. "If we don't find him on our way out... then, I guess we... leave him behind."

Clementine could see how difficult this was for Luke. He was obviously close to Nick, and with Pete's death still fresh in his mind, it had to be hard to make this call.

"Don't worry, we'll find him." She told him firmly. Luke smiled sadly, running a tired hand through his hair.

"God, I hope so."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Hello, again! Thanks for the reviews for last chapter, I really appreciate your support. Throughout the story, I will be deviating from the cannon slightly, adding in extra little scenes, as I don't want this story to get boring and predictable. And heads up, there is a lot of strong language in this chapter, hence the T rating, so be forewarned.

**Rated T for:** Amputation, violence, language, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter eight of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Eight**

Clementine stared at the shed, every muscle tense.

It had been two and a half hours since Carver's visit. Most of the group was making a final sweep through the cabin to make sure they hadn't missed anything. Clem had brought up the issue of her being weaponless, aside from her walking stick. The group seemed reluctant to give her a gun, but she didn't know if it was because they were low on ammo, or because they still didn't trust her yet.

"You sure you don't want me to get it?"

Luke was a little ways off, watching her with concern. He was the one who had remembered the hammer in the shed, forgotten in the panic of Clementine's bite. Though he volunteered to fetch it for her, Clem had decided she needed to do this for herself.

"I'm sure."

Luke's voice stirred her into action, and Clementine reached forward and tugged on the heavy wooden doors, which opened with a creak. Afternoon light poured into the shed, illuminating its sole occupant.

The walker was still there; impaled against the wall with a hammer lodged in its skull. Gagging as the smell washed over her, Clem slowly moved towards the rotting corpse, her narrowed eyes taking in its appearance.

It used to be a man, maybe around his thirties or forties. It had a retreating hairline, and it looked like he might've had a short beard, but the jawline was so covered in dark, rotten blood that it was hard to tell, and she sure as hell wasn't going to touch it.

Its eyes were still open; blank, milky orbs staring into space. She wondered what color they used to be.

Had he been married? Clementine didn't see a wedding ring on his mottled hand, but it could have easily come off. Did he have kids? A son? Was he the kind of father who took his son fishing during spring break, or went to father/son Boy Scout campouts during the summer? Did he have a daughter? Did he drive her to ballet class, or soccer practice, or karate class? Had he planned on walking her down the aisle on her wedding day?

Had he been alone, before everything happened? Divorced, widowed, never married? Had he been some lowlife with a dead-end job, or no job, who spent his days at the bar, drinking away his sorrows? Had he been a liar, a thief, a murderer? Did he have friends? Did he have a family?

**_THUD_**

Clem struck the walker with her cane, sending a spray of dark blood to decorate the walls.

**_THUD_**

"Fuck you!"

**_THUD_**

"Fuck you, and every walker like you!"

**_THUD _**

"Fuck you and your appetite, your fucking _hunger_,"

**_THUD_**

"and all your damn moaning!"

**_THUD _**

"That's all you ever fucking do!"

**_THUD_**

"You crawl around, _moaning_, looking for something to sink your fucking teeth into,"

**_THUD_**

"for no goddamn reason!"

**_THUD_**

"You just take, and take, and _take_, until there's nothing left!"

**_THUD_**

"And for what?!"

**_THUD_**

"The world's already gone to shit because of you!"

**_THUD_**

"Haven't you done enough?!"

**_THUD_**

_"NO?!"_

**_THUD_**

"WELL-"

**_THUD_**

"FUCK-"

**_THUD_**

"YOU!"

**_THUD_**

Clementine finally reeled back, leaning on her bloody walking stick. She didn't know when she had started crying, but the tears were hot on her cheeks. The walker's body was mangled from the assault. Dark blood dripped slowly from the gashes, like water from a leaky faucet. She caught her breath and stared at it blankly. The hammer was still there, wedged into the fractured skull.

Clem let her cane fall to the ground as she reached forward and gripped the hammer in both hands. Gritting her teeth, she pulled. It was in there pretty good, several inches of the hammer were embedded in bone. She pulled again, and this time she heard something rip.

The hammer came loose, and Clementine fell hard. The walker's head landed beside her, its rotten brains spilling out of the shattered bone.

She glared at it, phantom pains running up and down her right leg. Clem could feel its filthy teeth tearing into her flesh.

_"Burn in hell."_ She hissed fiercely.

"Clementine..?"

Luke's voice was soft, and slightly fearful. She hadn't heard him approach.

"Are... are you okay?"

Clem stood, the hammer in one hand and her cane in the other. She was flecked with the corpse's blood. With a quick swipe of her arm, she cleared her face of gore and tears.

"I'm fine." She answered shortly, brushing past Luke. "Let's just go already."

"...alright, then." Luke stared at Clementine's handiwork with a disturbed expression. He turned away from the grisly sight and shut the shed doors. "I think everyone's just about set to leave. They're waitin' out front." He said. "You all set, Clem?"

Clementine shouldered her little backpack, her grip around the bloody hammer tightening. She stared at the shed, knowing that it would forever be burned into her mind.

"Yeah. I'm sick of this place."

* * *

The air was tense as the group walked.

It had only been ten minutes since they'd left the cabin. Luke had taken the head of the group, and Clem could see him constantly checking their surroundings, hoping for some sign of Nick. Carlos and Sarah were walking close behind him and close to each other. She wasn't sure if Sarah fully understood the severity of their situation, but the older girl seemed to be picking up on the other's anxiety. Sarah kept glancing around like she was expecting to be attacked, which was actually highly possible.

Clementine honestly would've liked to be at the back of the group, away from prying eyes, but the others had been concerned she might fall behind. So Alvin and Rebecca brought up the rear instead. Clem didn't like the feeling of their gazes on her. She didn't know what the others had seen or heard, but they knew something had happened when she went into that shed.

She heard footsteps quicken as Rebecca approached her.

"Hey, Clem... sorry if I gave you some shit back there." She apologized. "I'm just a little on edge."

Clementine was surprised that Rebecca, of all people, had decided to try and talk to her. While it was obvious her former hatred had fizzled out, she hadn't thought Rebecca would care enough to try and make amends.

"It's okay." Clem replied, her eyes still on the road ahead.

"If it's not you I'm yellin' at lately, it's Alvin." Rebecca sighed. "And then I'm in real trouble. I'm trying my best, but lately all I seem to do is mess up. It reached a point where I realized I was the only person still mad at you, and I didn't have a good reason for it."

"I can handle it. I'm not a little kid." The eleven-year old knew she was being short with Rebecca, but she didn't have a strong desire to talk at the moment.

"I felt the same way when I was your age." Rebecca agreed. "My dad was always givin' me shit, and I always thought he didn't know a damn thing." Her eyes grew distant for a moment before she shook her head and smiled at Clementine. "I know you did you best back there." She said kindly. "You know, none of us would make it on our own. Sometimes it's hard knowing just how dependent I am on everyone. I'm not used to that. I'm not comfortable with that."

Clem looked up at Rebecca, her throat tight.

"I know what you mean." She had worked so hard to become independent. Most people she met saw her as something that needed to be protected. But Clementine had learned how to become capable. She was small, but fast, and smart, too. She could fight. She'd shot walkers, and she'd shot her kidnapper at the Marsh House. She'd shot Lee. She'd gotten out of Savannah alone. She could take care of herself.

And then she lost that when she lost her leg.

Rebecca blinked, realizing how much Clem could relate.

"Yeah, I guess you do." She murmured. "How have you been holdin' up? I.. um, heard about what happened in the-"

"I'm fine." Clementine said, bristling.

"Do you... wanna talk about it?"

"No." The walls were back up. Rebecca realized her mis step and let the subject drop.

"Alright, that's okay.." She rested a hand on her stomach, trying not to feel frustrated. Clem was in a difficult stage of her life, and she would get out of it at her own pace. "I'm supposed to be a mom soon. Guess I need to work on my patience." She said quietly, as if she was speaking to herself.

"Alvin and I still don't know what to call her." Rebecca told Clementine, deciding to steer the topic to safer waters. "Or him, if that man gets his wish, god help me. Any ideas?"

"Stop." The young girl suddenly stopped walking. Rebecca feared she may have inadvertently touched on another personal subject.

"Clem?"

"No, stop. Listen." She glanced around with narrowed golden eyes. "Luke, do you hear that?"

The group came to a standstill. Luke tilted his head slightly, listening.

"Walkers." He said grimly. "There in the woods a little way. We should be able to avoid them if we're careful."

Shaking her head, Clem began to walk in the direction the noises were coming from.

"What are you doing?!" Luke caught up to her, his machete already drawn. Clementine pushed away some tree branches to reveal a little path. She looked at Luke briefly before following the path deeper into the forest. Luke trailed after her. "Clem, what-"

"Shh." Clementine came to the edge of the treeline and pointed.

In the middle of the clearing was a small wooden building. Logs and cement bricks were stacked in neat piles around the entrance. There weren't many walkers, only three she could see, but they were hanging around the doors. They were pounding on them, growling and snapping.

Luke studied the scene before them, frowning.

"Why would they be tryin' to get in there-" He broke off, locking eyes with Clementine, who nodded.

"Nick."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **Hello again, readers. Thanks for the reviews last chapter! And just in case it wasn't apparent already, Clementine is going to be a little OOC at times due to the events in this story. Obviously, this will include a lot of trust issues, and a darker outlook on life. But hopefully she's still recognizable as the Clem we all know and love.

**Rated T for:** Amputation, violence, language, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter nine of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Nine**

Luke crept up on the walkers and took them out silently, one at a time.

The first one was completely oblivious, too preoccupied with the doors to notice Luke approaching. His machete slid cleanly through its skull, like it was cutting through butter. The second one had only just realized its companion had fallen before Luke drove his weapon into the back of its head. The last walker was slumped against the side of the building. It had been rotting for so long that its decaying legs weren't able to support it anymore. Luke took care of it as quickly as the others.

Clementine watched quietly from her spot by the trees. He made it look so easy...

The rest of the group caught up to them as Luke pressed his ear against the door. Clem joined him, listening for any indication that Nick was in there, and if he was, that he was okay. Luke tapped on the doors hesitantly.

"Nick...?"

After a heartbeat, they heard a soft moan. Luke glanced at Clementine, his jaw set.

"Get the door." He told her, his grip on his machete tightening. Clem tugged the doors open, peering into the dim building.

It seemed to be some kind of storage warehouse, or cellar. Rusty shelves lined the walls, but they weren't filled with anything useful. The floor was concrete, and the walls were cinderblock. The only source of light came from a little cracked window.

Luke warily entered the building, followed closely by Clementine. Suddenly he held out a hand to stop her, pointing his machete at some crates in the corner of the room, where she could see someone's legs poking out from behind them. Someone who was wearing familiar camouflaged pants.

It was Nick. He was lying in a crumpled heap, eyes closed. Clem wasn't sure if he was breathing, but he didn't seem to be bitten...

"Jesus..." Luke breathed.

Nick stirred, looking up at them from his spot on the floor.

"Hey man... you got any aspirin?" He asked softly.

"Nick, you asshole." Shaking his head, Luke helped Nick to his feet. For the first time, Clementine noticed the shards of broken glass littering the floor, and the heavy scent of alcohol in the air. Nick had been drinking.

Luke studied Nick for a moment before pulling him into a hug. Nick's breathing grew ragged.

"Pete's dead." He told Luke, his voice trembling.

"I know, man, I do." Luke said gently. "We gotta get movin', okay? Carver's gang showed up. Can you make it?"

"Yeah... yeah." Nick wiped at his eyes with his shirt sleeve. "But how... how did you guys find me?"

"Actually, it was Clem." Luke glanced over at her with a small smile, which Clementine returned. "Kid's got great hearing, thank god. Now c'mon, we gotta go."

They left the cellar behind and rejoined their group. Everyone was glad to see Nick alive and well, but Pete's death and Carver's visit kept the mood considerably dark. Nick himself seemed the most somber, saying little about what had happened. Clem couldn't exactly blame him. He'd been at the river when Pete died. He'd seen it happen, and had been unable to do anything about it. That couldn't be easy baggage to carry.

"Hey Clem..."

Shaken from her thoughts, Clementine looked over her shoulder at Nick.

"You really saved my skin back there. Thanks." He said appreciatively.

"I got lucky, I guess." She shrugged. Nick nodded.

"Yeah. I.. I thought for sure I was a goner..." His expression darkened, and Clem wondered what had been running through his mind during the lonely hours spent in that cellar. Nick's footsteps slowed, and he fell to the back of the group, his eyes downcast.

"What do you think happened back in that cellar?" Luke asked quietly, voicing her thoughts.

His earlier lightheartedness was wearing off. Initially, he'd been so relieved to find Nick that any other feelings had been swept aside. He couldn't imagine leaving Nick behind, but Carver had almost pushed him to that. It was a stroke of pure luck that Clementine had found him, and Luke would be forever grateful. But now, he realized that the event might've affected Nick more than he let on.

"I think he got drunk." Clem said.

"Yeah." Luke agreed. "He smells like shit."

"And," She continued carefully. "I think that.. if he was stupid enough to get himself drunk, he must've thought he was going to die." Clementine knit her brows together. "Or, maybe he _wanted_ to die..."

"Hey, c'mon Clem, don't talk like that." Luke's voice was almost pleading, like he couldn't stand the thought. "He's just a goddamn idiot sometimes. He wouldn't... I mean, he's not.. he's not the kinda person that would do something like that, alright?"

_'You can never tell who is.'_ Clementine wanted to say. She hadn't thought Katjaa would kill herself. None of them had. Katjaa had been the one who always said they needed to keep hope, and for her to give up like she did had blindsided everyone.

But Clem just shrugged.

"Okay, sorry..."

Luke caught her tone and sighed.

"Sorry, I'm just... I'm worried about that kid." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And, I know I'm not exactly in the position to ask this, but could you keep an eye on him for me? Nick doesn't always tell me everything." Clementine raised an eyebrow, and Luke sighed again. "Yeah, I know how that sounds. Some group, huh? You.. sure you still wanna come with us?"

Clem was slightly taken aback by the question. She'd thought it was obvious she had to stick with them, after what happened to her leg. She couldn't afford to be on her own, and these were the only people she could stay with until she found Christa. And if she didn't...

"Look, I know we got off to a rough start." Luke winced, realizing how much of an understatement that was. They were partly responsible for the loss of her leg, no matter how unintentional or indirect their actions were. "I can't make any promises it won't get rougher, but we all know you now."

Clementine almost snorted. They didn't know her, not _really._

"And.. we may not be perfect," Luke continued. "but we look out for each other."

Part of Clem wanted to be blunt with him. Just cut to the chase, and say _'I don't have anywhere else to go,'_ or _'I'm only staying until I find Christa.'_ But one look at Luke's face told her she couldn't do it.

"Yeah, I'm with you guys."

"And we are glad to have you." Luke responded warmly, no doubt thinking of how she had just saved Nick.

"I'm not sure _everyone_ is..." Clementine frowned.

"Well... they'll get there." He smiled reassuringly. Luke tugged a map of Virginia out of his pocket and unfolded it, tracing a line up to the mountains. "I figure we got about four or five days to reach those mountains." He said, addressing the group. "Now, if they're trackin' us, we should be able to lose 'em up there."

"Five days?" Rebecca worriedly looked down at her protruding belly.

"It's gonna be okay, Bec." Alvin said comfortingly, laying a gentle hand on his wife's shoulder.

"We have to keep moving now." Carlos agreed. "It's our only choice."

_'Well, at least I'll get plenty of practice walking.'_ Clementine thought dryly, nearly stumbling as her cane caught on a tree root.

* * *

They walked until nightfall.

Luke thought it best to stay put until the morning, so they didn't accidentally wander off course. It was hard to see the path in the dark. Of course, nobody complained. The long rest was greatly needed and well-received. Clem was nursing two blisters and a leg cramp. She'd known that walking was going to be more difficult, but it still sucked.

The only problem was the cold. They couldn't light a fire, not with Carver after them. So the group huddled behind an outcrop of rocks, which helped to block most of the wind. After a quick bite of canned food, everyone settled down to rest their aching muscles. Luke had volunteered to keep lookout first, but Carlos gently declined the offer and took the position himself.

Clementine hadn't failed to noticed how Luke seemed to push himself the hardest. He'd lead the group for most of the day, taking out stray walkers they happened upon, and generally kept the group's spirits up. He never gave any indication that he was tired, and he was the one who kept the most upbeat and positive. Luke led by example, and his strength gave strength to the others.

But that strength had its limit, and it was starting to show. Luke practically collapsed next to Clem, leaning against the rocks. He smiled tiredly at her, running a hand through his hair.

"How ya been, Clem?" He asked quietly. Luke never failed to check up on everyone.

"As good as I can be, I guess." Clementine shrugged. "You know, given the circumstances."

"How do you think Nick's been doin'?" Luke's voice dropped even lower. Nick was a little ways off, but still awake, staring at the dark sky with a far off look in his eyes.

"I don't know." She knit her brows together. "He's just been really quiet. I think he blames himself for Pete's death."

None of them really knew exactly what had happened at the river. Nick was the only one who did, and he wasn't eager to share. Whether or not he could have done something to save Pete, Clem knew it wasn't healthy for him to obsess over it. She was no stranger to survivor's guilt. Every time someone died, it reared its ugly head.

Lee and Kenny had felt responsible for Shaun back at Hershel's farm. The girl who committed suicide at the motor inn had shaken Lee, Carley, and Glenn in particular. Doug's death had weighed heavily on Carley. Mark's gruesome end affected everyone. Then Larry died, and though Lee tried to help he felt guilty anyways. Lilly probably had, too. Ben had inadvertently caused Carley's death, and then Duck and Katjaa, and it had practically destroyed him. But Kenny blamed himself for their deaths, too. Clementine wondered how Lee had felt about Ben and Kenny's deaths, if he felt like he could have done something more. She knew _she_ sure felt responsible for Omid's death.

If she had just kept hold of her gun...

"You alright, Clem? You seem to be spacing out a lot lately."

Clementine looked up at Luke's concerned face.

"Yeah, I just.." She blinked. "It's nothing."

"You wanna talk about it?" Luke's tone was comforting, but she wasn't ready to spill out her life story yet.

"No, it's fine. I just know how he feels." Clem sighed, curling up against the rocks. "I've been in his place before."

"Yeah, I know..." Luke murmured.

"What?" Clementine sat up, raising an accusing eyebrow at Luke. "What do you mean?"

Luke blinked, realizing his slip up.

"I.. I just meant..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, Clem, I guess now's a good time as ever for you to know. You remember back at the cabin, when Carlos gave you that medicine? The, uh, painkillers, for your leg?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, when you got loopy, you started talkin' about your past." Luke said carefully.

Clementine swallowed.

"Who... who was there?" She asked, avoiding Luke's eyes.

"Just me, Nick, an' Pete." He answered honestly. "And Rebecca heard a little bit."

"What did I say?"

"You were talkin' about folks you knew who'd died." Luke told her gently. "You started with your babysitter and ended with a fella named Omid-"

"How _much_ did I say?"

"Not too much." Luke said reassuringly. "You were vague."

"Good."

Clementine took a slow breath, trying to get a handle on her emotions. She hadn't wanted them to find out, not this way. A person's story was all they really owned now. She should've been able to choose whether or not she wanted to share it with them, and when, and how. Now she knew why people had started treating her differently. They'd heard some drug-induced sob story and started pitying her.

"Clem, I'm sorry, I tried to get ya to stop, honest, but you were-"

"Goodnight, Luke." The eleven-year old turned her back to Luke, blinking away tears. She knew it was silly to feel so upset, but with everything going on she just wasn't ready for them to know her past. That was supposed to come with trust. These people were practically strangers, and now they knew more about her then she did about them.

"Aw, hell, Clem... I'm sorry. I was gonna tell you, but there didn't seem t'be a good time, and..." Luke sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry."

The air was silent for a few moments before Luke spoke again, his voice scarcely audible.

"Were there really... you know, um... cannib-"

"I said, _goodnight Luke."_

"Right. S-sorry..."

Clementine didn't respond. She shut her eyes tightly and began waiting for the sun to rise, because she sure as hell wasn't going to sleep tonight.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, _so sorry_ this is late! I was volunteering for my theatre company all week, and haven't had much free time. I also apologize if this feels slow. There will be some action later on, but I wanted to take some time to delve into Clementine's thoughts and her relationship with the group.

**Rated T for: **Amputation, violence, language, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter ten of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Ten**

When they set off again in the morning, Clementine stayed at the back of the group, and nobody objected.

She felt safer, somehow, being able to see all of the group without any of them able to see her. She was just too vulnerable right now; if someone said the wrong thing, she might explode or burst into tears. They could all sense this, Clem could tell. They were walking on eggshells around her, which was irritating, but it was better than pretending nothing had happened. Or, god forbid, trying to get her to talk about it.

Last night's conversation kept running through her mind.

_"Were there really... you know, um... cannib-"_

_"I said, goodnight Luke."_

Of all the things for him to hear from her in her drug-induced hysteria, why did it have to be the cannibals? Clementine wondered how vague she had been. How had she phrased it? Had she come right out and said_ 'We almost got killed by cannibals'_ or_ 'The St. Johns ate other people'_, or maybe _'We ate Mark's legs for dinner'_? She really hoped the words 'human slaughter-house' hadn't come into play.

Had she told them about Lee?

Clementine's gaze shifted to the front of the group, where Luke had, once again, taken the lead. She stared hard at the back of his head, as if she could see through his skull and into his mind. She needed to know how much he understood about her, and her past, but that would require her talking to him about it, which she definitely didn't want to do. Clem didn't trust herself to keep a level head. She'd already snapped at Luke, even though none of it had been his fault. _She_ was the one who'd started spouting out her tragic story, and he'd just been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

And... she couldn't exactly blame him for wanting to know. Whatever she'd said must had piqued his curiosity, in a morbid way. His question last night showed Clementine that he didn't want to believe what he'd heard. He had been hoping it wasn't true, but her short answer confirmed it. And now he was probably wondering how she had survived through everything.

Clem didn't like to think about that. Lee had always told her to keep moving, and she did in more ways than one. She couldn't dwell on anything in her past, not even happy memories, or else she got low. _Really_ low.

There was a time after Omid's death that was fuzzy to Clementine. She remembered how life had passed her by in a haze, and she felt nothing but crushing darkness. She had gone days without speaking, fallen dangerously underweight, and couldn't get more than a couple hours of sleep at a time due to nightmares.

Clem didn't personally remember much of this. Christa had filled her in after it had passed. She remembered the look in Christa's eyes when she explained; '_You were depressed, Clementine. It was bad.' _Christa had already been through so much, with Omid and the baby, and then Clem had just given up. A weaker person probably would have let them both die, but Christa kept them alive. After that, Clementine swore she would never fall into that dark place again. She owed Christa at least that much. And it was hard, but she kept moving.

Now these strangers were dragging up her past again. They only knew bits and pieces, but it would only be a matter of time before someone started asking questions. From what Luke told her, only him, Nick, and Rebecca knew anything, but Clem knew the others were curious. They probably wanted to know how an eleven-year old, eight at the start, had survived like she had. They want to know what had made her able to grit her teeth and do whatever it took to survive, when other children would curl up and cry.

_Other children._

The thought forced the air from her lungs, harsh reality slamming into her like a train. She was still a child. Clementine hadn't thought of herself as a child for a long time, not since she shot Lee. Christa and Omid had taken care of her, sure, but they all took care of each other. They didn't _act_ like she was a little kid. How could they, after what she'd seen and done, after all she'd been through?

But eleven was young. _Really_ young. What would someone else her age be like? Surely, if they had lived as long as she had, they were like her. Sarah was a different case. Even before, Clem could tell Sarah would've been different from kids her age. But Clementine? Clementine had been your average first grader. Playful, curious, mischievous at times. Empathetic, naive, _innocent. _

When they found that car full of supplies in the forest, she'd refused to steal. After everything that Ben had done, as much of a liability he was, she'd voted to keep him with them.

Would she make the same calls now? Clem wasn't sure. The thought saddened her. Lee had tried so hard to protect her, and her emotional well-being. She knew that she couldn't stop caring about people. After all, when you got down to it, they were all survivors. But kindness was a liability, a privilege that would only come with trust now. Too many people would take advantage of that kindness; people who had stopped caring about others. She had to be strong, stronger than all of them to survive.

And sometimes, that meant her humanity had to be sacrificed.

"Bec, you okay?"

Alvin's worried voice yanked her back to earth. Clementine stopped just short of the couple; Rebecca was hunched over, arms hugging her stomach.

"Y-yeah, she's just kicking, that's all..." Rebecca panted, looking unsure.

"Luke, we gotta stop," Alvin guided his wife over to a rock to sit down. "Bec needs to rest."

"All right," Luke looked the group over, noticing the tried faces of the weary travellers. "Yeah, we can break for some lunch."

Clem glanced up at the sky, surprised to see the afternoon sun. Apparently they'd been walking for several hours. She must've been really out of it. After glancing around quickly to check if their surroundings were safe, Clementine lowered herself to the ground, her muscles aching. Her hands were quickly growing calloused from the way she used her walking stick, and her foot was a throbbing mess of blisters.

"Hey, Clementine?"

She looked up to see Carlos approaching her.

"You bandages need to be changed." He said gently, kneeling down beside her.

"Oh, right," Clementine blinked, having forgotten the state of her injuries. "Sure."

He started with her arm, unwrapping the bloodstained fabric with great care. Carlos cleaned the wound, and it didn't sting nearly as much as it had before. Clem could tell it was going to leave a nasty scar, but it didn't bother her.

"I think we ought to take these stitches out." He told her.

"Will it hurt?" She asked warily, eyeing the thick fishing line she'd used as emergency stitches.

"No, I don't think so," Carlos rummaged around in his backpack before coming up with a pair of scissors. "If it does, then it won't be that bad." He snipped off the end of the stitches and pulled on the other end, carefully maneuvering the line through her flesh.

Clementine's breath hitched. The area was sensitive, but the feeling was strange, not painful. It was a weird, unusual sensation that made her stomach churn, but like Carlos promised, it didn't really hurt.

After a few moments, he held up the line, smiling.

"See? Nothing to it," Carlos tucked the 'stitches' back into his bag in case they needed them later. Nothing went to waste anymore. "I'll bandage it for now, but it should be fine in a few more days."

"Thanks." Now came the hard part.

Clementine watched as Carlos began to undo the bandages around her leg. Her nerves were still shot and every movement sent pain up and down her leg, but it was nothing compared to the agony she'd felt last time he'd cleaned the wound. As the last of the bandages fell away, Clem caught her breath at the sight of her leg, her _stump._

It was ugly.

That was her first thought. The flesh surrounding the severed area was red and swollen, almost puffy, like she'd had an allergic reaction to something. Her leg was feverish as well, since she was constantly fighting off infection. After the initial amputation, Carlos had stitched together two flaps of skin to cover the gaping hole. He said that it would take several weeks, but the skin would 'fuse' together on its own, like her arm did, and then he could take the stitches out. But for now, the ragged flesh was held in place only by the stitches, and dried blood and pus and other disgusting stuff.

Carlos cleaned the wound and wrapped it, telling her that the swelling should go down in a few days.

Clementine nodded mutely, struggling not to scream at the stinging disinfectant. When he finished, she slumped against a tree, utterly exhausted. This trip was taking a lot out of her. Her eyelids fluttered shut, and she hoped to catch a quick snooze before they set off again. Unfortunately for her, it seemed Carlos had another agenda.

"Um, Clem...?"

She blinked up at the doctor, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"I know you're tired right now, but I heard about what happened in the shed back at the cabin, and I think you should talk about it with someone."

Clementine sat up with a jolt, staring at Carlos in surprise. She hadn't expected him to be so forward. Glancing around quickly, she could see that none of the others had taken notice. Alvin and Rebecca were eating what looked like canned vegetables for lunch. Nick had gone off to use the restroom. Luke was on lookout, and Sarah was nestled against a tree stump, absorbed in her book.

"Why does everyone seem to be so hung up on that?" Clem scowled up at Carlos. "Haven't _you_ ever needed to blow off steam?"

"Of course," He said matter-of-factly. "But from what Luke told me, that was not just 'blowing off steam'."

Clementine exhaled through her nose, glaring at Luke with narrowed eyes. What right did he have to go telling everyone about that?

"Look, I was just venting. That's _it,_" She stressed. "Can't you let this drop already?"

"No, Clementine, I can't," Carlos shook his head. "You need to talk about it."

"I thought you were a doctor, not a therapist," Clementine was fighting to keep her voice level. She didn't need the rest of the group getting involved. "How could you possibly know what I _need_ to do?"

"I know because I'm a _father_."

"Well, you're not _my_ father!"

Carlos flinched, and Clem realized she was standing, her cane raised like a weapon. The rest of the group had noticed. Rebecca and Alvin were watching with wide eyes. Sarah looked somewhere between confused and terrified, clutching her book to her chest. Luke had left his post and was coming over, worry etched into his features.

Clementine forced herself to relax and leaned heavily against the tree, crossing her arms. She threw her glare from person to person, daring someone to say something. Carlos was about to take her up on the challenge when someone else spoke.

"Woah, what's going on?" Nick had returned from his bathroom break and was staring at the toxic scene in confusion, hands raised defensively. "Did... did I miss something..?" He ventured carefully, questioning eyes straying to each member of the group.

A tense silence fell over them, but Clementine was the one to break it.

"Not much," She said coolly. "I just had a mental breakdown back at the cabin while you were missing."

"Wait, what?" Nick's eyes widened. "What do you-"

"Why don't you ask Luke?" Clem spat. "He's already told _everyone else_ about it!"

"Clementine," Luke stepped in to diffuse the situation. "You know as well as I do that a group has got to trust each other, alright? Keeping all this to yourself... it's not healthy, Clem. You're hurtin' real bad, and you gotta open up about these things."

_Like your past._

He didn't say it, but he didn't need to.

"Don't lecture me about trust, Luke," Clementine blinked tears from her eyes, and the realization that she was crying now just made her angrier. "Like this is s-some up-standing group built on love, and- and _trust_. This group isn't shit, it's not a_ family_!" Damn it all, Luke was right, she _was_ hurting. "You know what?! I'm not even a part of this group, I'm just here because I have _nowhere else to go!_ Once I find Christa, I'll be glad if I _never_ see any of you_ ever again!"_

She wanted to hurt them, like they hurt her. She just wanted to _see_ the pain register in Luke's eyes. But there was none, just quiet resignation.

"Do you really mean that, Clementine?" Luke asked gently.

She didn't. He knew she didn't. And that was enough to open the floodgates.

_"N-no..._"

Clem sank to the ground, wrapping her arms around herself.

"No, I- I don't, I'm _s-sorry_, I-" A sob escaped her. "I j- just..."

Suddenly Luke was hugging her, and Carlos, and Alvin and Rebecca and Nick, and even Sarah joined, because even though she didn't understand everything going on she knew Clementine was hurting, and that was enough.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." She cried even harder. "I d- didn't mean..."

"Shhh, it's okay, Clem."

"Don't worry about it.."

"Hey, now, it's alright."

"I'm sorry too... we're all sorry."

"You're gonna be just fine, kid."

"Y-yeah, Clem, please don't cry."

Clementine smiled through her tears, feeling the love and warmth radiating from the group, from her friends. She had been wrong before. They _were_ a family.

"Back at t- the shed," She took a shaky breath. "I- I went off like I did because, for a moment, I wasn't just attacking the walker that bit me. It was like.. I was getting revenge on every walker that has ever done me wrong, ever taken someone away from me, y- you know?" Clem dropped her gaze. "I was attacking the walker that bit Sandra, and the ones that killed Shawn, and Doug... the ones that swarmed out motor inn and bit Duck, and.. the ones in Savannah, and Crawford, and the ones that killed Kenny. The walkers that killed my parents, and- and the one that bit Lee-" Her voice broke.

"It's okay, Clementine. You don't have to go on." Luke's voice was gentle and soothing.

"No, it's just..." Clem's breathing hitched. "For one moment, I was getting payback for every time I couldn't do _anything. _Back when I helplessly watched every terrible thing imaginable happen right in front of me. I- I couldn't do anything then, but I can now, so I took it out on the walker in the shed."

She looked up at the group; at the caring, understanding faces, and her heart swelled with warmth.

"But now, I.. I guess you were right, Carlos, you and Luke both. I do feel better now. And, I'm sorry."

"No, Clementine, I'm sorry," Rebecca startled everyone by speaking up first. "Back when we first met you, I was downright cruel. If I had been more trusting, you might not've ended up in that shed, and you wouldn't have got bitten."

"Oh, Rebecca," Celm realized this had been weighing on the woman's mind for a while now. "It's okay, you can't blame yourself for that." She had her own fair share of 'what if's', and they were nothing but hell. What if she hadn't started talking to the man on her radio? What if she hadn't run away from the house in Savannah? What if she had kept her gun with her at the rest stop?

She wasn't going to pretend that the group wasn't at least partly responsible for the loss of her leg, but she _was _going to forgive them.

"Okay, I'm still confused. What the hell happened back at that shed?" Nick asked helplessly.

"I beat the walker into a pulp with my cane while screaming obscenities at it." Clementine answered swiftly, one eyebrow raised.

"Ah. Well, shit. Can't say I blame ya." Nick said, scratching the back of his head.

"Alright, guys, this has been nice an' all," Luke started. "But I'm worried all this... _activity_, might've attracted attention. We should head out."

They all agreed, and when they set off again, Clementine walked next to Luke. He didn't say anything, but he wore an enormous grin for the rest of the day.


	11. Chapter 11

(Spoilers for Season 2!)

**Summary: **Life in the apocalypse isn't easy; Clementine knows this better than anyone. But when she gets bitten in the shed, she finds it's even harder to survive with only one leg.

**Author's Note: **Greetings, readers! Thanks for the likes/reblogs on the last chapter. Just like to let you guys know that since Clem is the main character, she will be doing all the stuff she did in the game. I know it's highly unlikely that they would let a one-legged eleven-year old do all the hard stuff, but it'd be no fun is she just sat around doing nothing. So I apologize for the unrealistic-ness, but it's necessary. And once again, apologizing for the slowness and the shortness. More action next chapter, I promise.

**Rated T for: **Amputation, violence, language, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter eleven of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Eleven**

After a couple days, things started to get tense.

Although Clementine was now more comfortable with the group as a family, families still fought when put under stress. And there was nothing more stressful than fleeing to the mountains from a madman with two children, one of whom was missing a leg, and a heavily pregnant woman. Factoring in the walkers, cold weather, and their dwindling food supply was enough to put anyone on edge. Patience was running thin, and tempers flared.

Nick hadn't entirely recovered from the river and the cellar, and Clem wasn't sure he ever would.

He and Luke butted heads. A lot. About the smallest things, too. Where to set up camp, when to set up camp, who should take first watch. Luke's intentions were good, but his attempts to shelter Nick didn't sit well with the other man.

"C'mon, Luke, let me take the first shift." Nick insisted. Luke, Carlos, and Alvin had kept watch for the past couple days.

"No, Nick, it's alright," Luke said gently. "You just get some rest, okay?"

"I'm fine, Luke. You ain't slept for shit all week!" He pointed out. Luke's eyes were ringed with dark circles.

"I said it was alright, Nick-"

"Bullshit!"

"Nick!" Carlos stepped in. "This isn't worth fighting over. Just let us handle it."

"I already told you guys, I'm fine!" Nick crossed his arms defensively. "What, 'cause of what happened with Pete you don't trust me to keep watch anymore?"

"That's not true," Luke shot back. "You've just been through a lot, an' I thought you should take some time to recover."

"In case you hadn't noticed, Luke, we're in the middle of a goddamn apocalypse! I can't afford to just _'take some time'_, alright?" Nick narrowed his eyes. "This group needs as much help as it can get, what with Rebecca expecting and us takin' care of two kids!"

Clementine watched the scene unfold with wide eyes from her spot on the forest floor. Alvin and Rebecca were wisely staying out of it, and Sarah was trying to pretend she wasn't listening, hiding her face behind her book.

"We've been managing just fine without you!" Luke retorted.

"Well if you don't need me, then maybe I'll just go!" Nick turned on his heel and stormed off down the trail, a dangerous habit he'd developed whenever he wanted to be alone. There was no telling what one could find in the woods late at night.

"I... I shouldn't have said that..." Luke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'd better go after him. Carlos, you comin'?"

The doctor nodded, and he and Luke started after Nick, their footsteps fading away.

"Damn.." Alvin muttered. "Worried about that kid..."

"Luke or Nick?" Rebecca asked tiredly.

"Both."

Clem heaved a sigh of her own. All this infighting was getting old. She hoped that once they were safe and out of Carver's reach, things would return to normal. She glanced over at Sarah, who was staring blankly in the direction the three men had gone. A pang of worry shot through her. Sarah didn't handle conflict well.

Clementine moved next to Sarah, sensing the older girl was upset.

"Hey, you alright?" She asked softly.

Sarah shrugged, her gaze downcast.

"I don't know... I just... I hate it when they fight." She fiddled with the zipper of her jacket absentmindedly.

"Yeah, me too," Clem agreed. "Everyone's just stressed out."

Sarah nodded, but she didn't look up.

"Is there something bothering you...?" Clementine ventured. Things between her and Sarah had felt off the past couple days. She was worried she'd done something to upset the other girl.

"No, it's just..." Sarah hesitated, her eyes flitting up to meet Clem's for a second before darting away.

"You can tell me," Clementine told her. "We're friends, remember?"

Sarah smiled faintly, but it didn't last. She sighed.

"A couple days ago..." Sarah's voice dropped to a whisper. "When you were yelling at everyone..."

"Yeah?"

"It.. it just really scared me..." Sarah admitted.

Clementine swallowed, struck by guilt. She'd said some horrible things to the group in her anger, and they'd forgiven her, but she hadn't even talked to Sarah about it. Of course she'd feel hurt and confused.

"I'm sorry," She said. "I was just... emotional. I was working through some things, and you all helped a lot."

"Really?"

"Really," Clem nodded. "I didn't mean any of it, you know. How I said I was just with you guys because I had nowhere else to go. I really do want to be here."

"That's good," Sarah smiled. "I want you to be here, too. You're not going to get like that again, will you?"

"Of course I won't, I-" Clementine paused. She'd just been about to say 'I promise', and she didn't want to make a promise she couldn't keep, especially to Sarah. In reality, she had no idea how she'd act in the future.

"I'll try." She said truthfully.

"Okay," Sarah seemed satisfied with her answer. "I'm glad we're friends."

"Me too. Do you think you could read me a chapter of your book?"

"Sure!"

When Luke, Nick, and Carlos returned five minutes later, they found Sarah and Clementine snuggled up together, reading her book. Luke grinned and looked at Carlos, nodding his head towards the girls. It was obvious Clem was having a positive effect on Sarah. Carlos had originally worried that she would be a bad influence to his daughter, but now he could see the exact opposite was true.

"Hey, girls," Luke greeted them. "Having fun?"

"Mhm!" Sarah nodded. "It's a really good book."

"Sarah's a really good storyteller." Clementine added.

"Well, sorry to tell ya, but we have got to get a move on," He tugged the map out of his pocket. "We're almost there."

"That's what I like to hear." Rebecca muttered, stretching her back painfully.

Clem pushed herself up and grabbed Luke by the arm as he passed her.

"Everything better now?" She asked quietly, her eyes narrowed. "No more fighting? Because it's not helping Sarah, or anyone of us, for that matter."

Luke glanced over at Nick and nodded, surprised at how quickly Clementine had changed from a giggling child into a serious protector.

"Yeah, we're all good now." He said.

"Good," She let go of his arm and turned back to Sarah, smiling. "Want to walk with me?" Clem asked. Her voice was light and lacked the threatening tone it'd held just a second earlier. Again, Luke marveled at her ability to switch between her two roles so effortlessly.

"Okay, sure!"

Everyone packed up again and looked at Luke, who unfolded the map.

"Final stretch, guys. We can make it."

The group set off once again into the forest.

* * *

Several hours later found them gathered at the edge of the woods, which overlooked an enormous ravine.

There was a bridge leading over the gap, but Luke suggested they make sure their surroundings were safe before crossing. They'd be exposed on the bridge, and easily trapped. Clementine spotted a little rock formation and offered to climb up and see what she could find.

"Nah, that's okay, I'll go up there and check." Luke said.

"Luke," Clem crossed her arms. "If someone across the way happens to be looking in our direction, they'll spot you from a mile away. You're bigger than me, and you're wearing orange."

Luke glanced down at his shirt, frowning.

"Well, that may be true, but-"

"Just give me the binoculars, I can do it." She insisted. When Luke didn't comply, she grabbed the binoculars anyway and started up the rocks.

"Be careful!" Luke folded his arms, watching Clementine scale the rocks with trepidation.

Clem pulled herself to the top and laid flat on her stomach, lifting the binoculars to her eyes.

"See anything?" Luke asked.

All she could see straight ahead was more dense forest, but she didn't tell them that.

"She better see somethin'," Alvin chimed in. "We've been walkin' for a damn week."

"We've got to find some shelter." Carlos agreed.

"I can see the bridge." Clementine called down.

"And does it look passable?" Luke prompted.

"I think so." She nodded.

"Good."

Clem trained her vision along the bridge and spotted a small building.

"There's a little house by the bridge." She reported.

"How big is it?" Carlos asked.

"It's pretty small..." Truthfully, the building wasn't much bigger than a garden shed. Clementine looked up into the mountains. "There's a building on the mountain."

"What's it look like?" Luke strained to see over the rocks.

"It's big," Clem said approvingly.

"That sounds like a good place to spend the night." Luke said, glancing over at Alvin. Rebecca might be able to sleep in a bed tonight, if they were lucky.

"There's also a lift, or something." The metal poles trailed up and down a steep slope.

"Chair lift?" Luke glanced at his map. "Must be that ski resort."

"I've never been skiing.." Clementine admitted, lowering her binoculars.

"Bec and I went once." Alvin said, looking at his wife.

"It wasn't pretty." Rebecca chuckled.

Clem slid down the rocks carefully, landing with a soft thud. She handed the binoculars back to Luke and picked up her walking stick.

"We have to cross that bride," Carlos addressed the group. "Let's go."

"Hold on, now," Luke interjected. "We can't all go sprinting across that thing, okay? If we get spotted out there, we're gonna be trapped."

"Going around that lake will take too long." Carlos countered.

"Right, but..." Luke ran a hand through his hair. "Look, we've got no idea who's out there. Okay, I'm gonna sneak across and make sure it's clear before we bring the whole group over."

"You think splitting up the group is a good idea?" Carlos asked, putting a hand on his hip.

"I never said it was a _good_ idea," Luke admitted. "But it's better than riskin' everyone at once."

"Luke's right." Clementine agreed. She looked up at Carlos, who seemed to relent.

"What's your plan?" Alvin asked.

"I can scoot across low and slow and make sure nobody's waitin' for us on the other side." Luke said.

"You're gonna go alone?" Clem raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if both me and Carlos, or Alvin or Nick went, the group would be pretty vulnerable." Luke pointed out.

"But still, going somewhere alone is never a good idea," Clementine pressed. "Let me go with you."

"What? No, I don't think-"

"C'mon, Luke." Nick spoke up suddenly. "If Clem thinks she can do it, and she wants to go, then let her. We've seen what she can do."

Luke looked like he was about to argue, but he remembered what Clementine had told him earlier. The whole group was watching, and making a scene would just escalate things.

"Alright, then," He sighed. "You can come if you want, Clem."

"We'll have a tough time coverin' you from back here." Alvin warned them.

"Well, we'll just turn back if it gets hairy," Luke gave Clementine a pointed look. "Right?"

"Mhm." She nodded.

"I still think Clementine should stay here," Carlos said. "She's..."

"I'm what?" Clem demanded, sending the doctor a challenging look. "A crippled little girl?"

Carlos looked pained, but he nodded.

"Yes, like it or not." He told her.

"I already told you, I can do it," Clementine insisted. "Trust me on this, okay?"

Sarah tugged on her father's sleeve.

"She can do it, dad." She said quietly.

Carlos sighed, shutting his eyes for a moment.

"Alright, alright..." He said finally. "Just be_ very_ careful."

"It's gonna be fine," Luke assured him. "Okay? We'll signal you guys in ten minutes. Just watch for a light at the far side."

"I can go too." Nick offered, rising to his feet.

"You stay with the group." Luke told him.

"I'm fine, Luke."

"I need you to stay with them, alright?" Luke put a hand on Nick's shoulder. "They're gonna need you if somethin' happens."

"I don't like this." Carlos announced.

"Yeah, well, when's the last time you liked anything, Carlos?" Luke turned and started heading towards the bridge, Clem following closely behind.

"If something happens, I'll cover you." Nick called after them.

Luke paused for a moment and glanced over his shoulder at Nick, like he might say something. But he just turned and kept going.

"Come on, Clementine."

The pair left the group behind without another word.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Hello again, readers. Thanks for the reviews! I'm very happy with this chapter, even if it's a bit short. And don't worry if it feels slow, if you've seen S2 and you know what happens next, you know the next chapter will be full of action!

**Rated T for: **Amputation, violence, language, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter twelve of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Twelve**

Clementine trailed ever-so-slightly behind Luke as they walked.

Whenever she sped up to keep pace with him, he sped up too. She tried to catch his eye a couple times, but Luke wouldn't look at her. He didn't speak, but the message was clear; he didn't want to talk.

Too bad for him.

"Luke," Clem tried to grab his arm, but he was just out of reach. "Luke, don't make me run! Me, with my _one leg!"_

His step faltered, and she knew she had him. No matter how many times she shamelessly pulled a guilt trip on Luke, he fell for it.

"Clementine..." Luke's pace slowed until they were walking side by side.

"I know, I know, you don't want to talk about it," Clem sighed. "But you're hurtin' real bad, and you gotta open up about these things." She threw his words back at him in a horrible imitation of his accent, rolling her eyes for added effect.

"I don't talk like that!" Luke exclaimed, sounding scandalized. "And there's nothin' to talk about, anyways, alright?"

"Yes, there is," Clementine insisted. "What's going on with you and Nick?"

"Nothing, okay? I just-"

"He's been through a tough time, I get it, but we all have, too! You can't treat him like-"

"I'm just lookin' out for him, alright?" Luke was getting defensive, and Clem knew the smart thing to do would be to back off. But she was also close to reaching a breakthrough, and she wasn't going to give up on Luke just yet.

"What happened with Pete was horrible, and I can't imagine what Nick went through, but you can't treat him like he's made of glass."

Luke stopped walking abruptly. Clementine turned and looked at him, her expression questioning. She refused to let this go.

"Listen, Clem, you don't know Nick as well as I do," Luke started. "We were best friends growin' up, and I'm just tryin' to protect him."

"I understand that, but he doesn't need you to look after him," Clementine leaned on her walking stick. "He can handle himself."

Luke sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"No, I don't think you understand."

"Then tell me."

Luke studied her for a moment.

"Alright, c'mon." He waved her ahead with his arm, and they continued walking.

"I know you didn't know Pete too well, Clem, but he was a good man," He started. "Growing up, Nick's dad was... less than ideal. He was a shithead, basically. So Pete kinda stepped in, and as a result he an' Nick didn't have the best relationship. Sometimes, I think me an' Pete were closer than he was with Nick."

Luke fell silent, a far off look in his eyes. Clementine waited quietly as he sorted out his thoughts.

"See, there's this story Pete would tell me, about the first time he took Nick hunting," He smiled sadly. "He found the perfect kill, the biggest buck of the season. But as he went to shoot it, he just couldn't do it. When Pete went to take the gun, Nick misfired and nearly killed him," Luke glanced down at her. "Kinda like he almost did with you."

"So what happened?" Clem asked.

Well, the deer got away, and Pete nabbed it later in the season. Hung it up on his wall. After that, it was always a sore topic for Nick."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Nick is one of those people you look at and think, how the hell did he survive this long?" Luke shook his head. "I knew him before, and he's not the kind of person who can live in this kind of world and do these kind of things. It's just not him, Clem."

"He's still alive, isn't he?" Clementine pointed out.

"Well, yeah, he's _alive_, but he's not a survivor." Luke said.

Clementine thought for a moment.

"Like... like Sarah?" She ventured.

"Well, not exactly..." Luke tilted his head to the side. "See, with Sarah, it's different. Somethin' with her brain. Carlos told me he thinks it's some kinda disorder or somethin'. But Nick... it's his personality, his soul, whatever you wanna call it. It's not him, he's not a killer, Clem, even though he almost shot your face off the first time you met."

"You almost sound... disappointed." Clementine noted, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no that's not it," Luke said quickly. "It's just... in this world, you have to kill. And not just walkers, you know?"

"Yeah, I know..." Clem agreed darkly. Luke's eyes widened with realization.

"Oh, that's right... you had to kill your friend... um, Lee, right?" He asked hesitantly.

"I don't know if I count that." Clementine's mind ventured back to her last moments with Lee. She vividly remembered how she'd looked in his eyes and realized it was hopeless. "He wasn't all there. He... he wasn't _Lee."_

Luke nodded in understanding.

"Right. A bite victim is different than shootin' a human," He said. "I've had to do it. Self-defense only, but still... Nick hasn't ever killed a human being, only walkers."

"I have," Clem told him. "I got kidnapped by a man a couple years ago in Savannah. Lee came and found me, and they got into a fight. He was going to kill Lee, so I picked up his gun and... and I ended it."

"Damn," Luke stared at the horizon intently. "Why... why did he kidnap you? Did he... hurt you?" His voice indicated he meant much more than what he said.

Clementine remembered Lee asking that exact question.

"No, Luke, he was a father," She said. "He'd just lost his family, and he thought he could raise me better than Lee. But, he also said I'd be better off _dead_ than with Lee, so he was a psychopath. Absolutely crazy. Kept his wife's decapitated head inside a bowling ball bag."

"There are a lot of sickos out there." Luke muttered. "It changes you, killin' people. Some more than others. That's the thing with Nick. He has to be willing to kill someone to survive, but I don't know how he'd manage not to lose himself. He's not the most stable, in case you hadn't noticed."

He seemed like he had more to say, so Clem just nodded mutely, indicating him to go on.

"Some people just can't handle it," Luke scratched the back of his head. "It's kinda funny... when we were young, Nick was always gettin' into fights. Sometimes with kids twice his size. He was quick to anger and slow to forgive. When he thinks he's right, he can hold a grudge like no one else. He's violent, that's for damn sure, and yet... he couldn't shoot a deer," He sounded puzzled. "I've known plenty of nicer kids who could pull the trigger, myself included."

"You used to hunt?" Clementine asked.

"Oh, yeah," Luke nodded. "My dad hunted, and sometimes Pete took me. I know shootin' a deer is different than shootin' a walker, or a human, but... I can't help but worry about him, Clem. I'll try to be easier on him, but he's all I've got left. I have to protect him, because I know sure as hell that if I hadn't been with him when all this started, he wouldn't have lasted a week."

"Really?" Clem found that hard to believe.

"Really," Luke affirmed. "There's no way he would'a made it on his own. It was a damn stroke of luck we were with each other when folks started comin' back from the dead. I was fuckin' terrified, but to keep Nick alive, I had to get used to it real quick. And here we are, almost three years later, I think, and he's _still_ gettin' used to it," He shook his head. "I know it's a lot to ask of him, but if he wants me to treat him like he's capable, then he needs to prove he is."

"That makes sense..." Clementine tilted her head to the side. "Have I proved I'm capable?"

"You kidding?" Luke asked, raising his eyebrows. "Hell yeah, you have. Sometimes I think I'd trust you to take care of yourself more than I'd trust Nick to do the same."

"Even though I'm a crippled little girl?" Clem asked bitterly.

"Okay, first of all," Luke frowned. "It doesn't matter one bit that you're a girl, alright? If women were weaker than men, they'd all be dead by now. And secondly, it don't matter that you're young. You're small, sure, but that means you can hide easier. People underestimate you, don't they? I know we sure did."

"Well, what about this?" Clementine gestured to her stump. "I can't run as fast anymore."

"True," Luke admitted. "But I've met a few folks like you. Pete had a cousin who lost his arm, remember?"

"Yeah, but that's an arm," She said. "I'd much rather have lost my arm then my leg."

They fell silent for a few minutes.

"Okay, tell you what," Luke spoke suddenly. "Once we're safe from Carver, our first order of business will be gettin' you a new leg." He promised.

"That'd be great," Clem said honestly. "But... it's been five days. Why would Carver still be following us?"

Luke glanced away for a moment before answering her question with another one.

"What's the most important thing in this world?" He asked Clementine.

"Family." She replied.

"It's a tough world out there without people you can trust." Luke agreed.

Clem was suddenly reminded of her talk with Carver back at the cabin. He'd asked her how she could trust people if they didn't trust her. At the time, she'd been unsure, because she was convinced the group didn't trust her, didn't need her, and didn't want her. But now... Luke trusted her, as well as Sarah and possibly Nick. Carlos didn't seem to trust her abilities, but she'd prove him wrong soon enough. Alvin and Rebecca were willing to trust her. And they all seemed to care about her, at least. Clementine was finally convinced she'd found people she could trust.

The thought was comforting, to say the least.

"Anyways," Luke continued. "You can ask Rebecca, okay? I'm not gonna get in the middle of it."

"Seems like we're already in the middle of it." Clem noted.

"Tell me about it." Luke sighed.

They came to a stop just before the bridge. Two walkers were lurking by the entrance, one standing listlessly and the other slouched against a rock. Luke surveyed the situation carefully, checking the area for any others.

"Hmm. We can't shoot 'em, too much noise," He murmured. "But there's only two."

"Let's take 'em." Clementine decided, slipping her hammer out of her pocket.

"I like your style." Luke grinned.

They inched closer to the walkers and crouched by a small rock.

"I'll take the big one. You get shorty." He nodded his head at the walker sitting by the rock.

"Got it," Clem's fingers tightened around her hammer. "I'll take the small one."

"Good," Luke drew his machete. "Let's do it."

They crept towards their respective walkers, weapons at the ready. Clementine approached it as quietly as she could, but it didn't even glance her way. Her hammer drove into its skull with ease just as she heard Luke's machete slice through his walker's neck.

"Woah!" Luke exclaimed, studying the hammer. It was at least two inches deep. Clem tugged on it, to no avail. "Go ahead. Give it a good pull, it should come free." He instructed her.

"I know, I've done this before, remember?" Clementine dropped her walking stick and grabbed the hammer with both hands. "In a shed?"

Luke glanced away as she ripped her hammer from the walker's skull. The lifeless body tumbled over, spraying blood as it fell. Clem caught her balance and picked up her walking stick, looking up at Luke triumphantly.

"Nice work, kid." Luke clapped her on the shoulder, nearly knocking her off balance again.

"Ow." She scowled at him, but when his face fell, she smiled to let him know she wasn't really mad.

Together they turned around and started making their way down the bridge.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, thanks again for your continued support! Just a reminder that the story will deviate slightly from the cannon, so the scenes that happen in the game might not be the same. Also, whenever I describe Clementine as 'rising to her feet' or something of the sort, that just means she stands up with her cane. I know she only has one foot but there really isn't another way to describe it.

Another thing is that this story will absolutely not contain romantic Cluke. Their relationship in this fic is intended to be interpreted as either a strong friendship, and father-daughter relationship, a sibling relationship, or a bromance, because I personally think of them as bros. I've seen some fics where Clementine is older and paired with Luke, and that's fine, but here she is still a child and there is no romance whatsoever.

**Rated T for: **Amputation, violence, language, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter thirteen of Stump! :) - Aqua

* * *

**Stump**

**Chapter Thirteen**

As soon as she set foot on the bridge, Clementine got a bad feeling.

The bridge was red with rust, many of the supporting beams were warped, and the wooden planks seemed rotted with age.

She and Luke walked along the bridge's metal frame, wary of the fact that they were completely vulnerable and exposed. Any sniper from the tree line would have an easy day taking care of them, and the group was too far away for them to be of any help. Clem glanced impulsively over her shoulder; there'd been a rustling in the forest, but it might have just been the wind.

Suddenly Luke held out his hand to stop her and pointed ahead. A couple of walkers hanging around an old rail car had spotted them and started clawing their way over, mottled hands thumping on wooden boards, growling deep in their throats.

Clementine heard more groaning and turned; a walker was making its way toward them, having followed them from the forest. It blocked their way back off the bridge, shuffling toward them on dead feet.

"Shit..." Luke muttered, drawing his machete. He sized up their opponents and started approaching the one behind them, since it was the biggest and the fastest.

The hammer felt heavy in Clem's hand, and she was extremely aware that she could be easily knocked off balance. The two walkers ahead of them had regained their footing and were drawing closer; she took a step back and turned to follow Luke.

**_CRACK_**

The wood beneath Luke's feet splintered, and he fell.

_"Luke!"_

The walker tumbled through the hole after him. Clementine peered over the edge to see them both stranded on the bridge's outer frame.

"Clem! I'm okay, I just..." Luke struggled to get a foothold. "I'm stuck!"

Snarling, the walker lashed out at Luke, who was just out of reach. Clementine leaned forward to pull him up, one arm straining to reach and the other hanging on to the edge in a white-knuckled death grip.

"Behind you!" Luke's warning reminded Clem of the other two walkers, and she scrambled to her feet.

"Oh shit..." She breathed, realizing the severity of the situation. A powerful swipe to the knees with her cane was enough to bring the first walker down. Clementine caught her balance and struck the walker's head with her hammer, and it was dead.

But the hammer was stuck again, and the second walker was lurching towards her. Clem worked to free the weapon, pulling on the hammer with her left hand and pushing the body away with her walking stick.

With a sickening crunch, the hammer tore free of the skull. Clementine fell backwards, coming dangerously close to the edge of the bridge. Her cane slipped from her grasp and clattered uselessly to the floor, but it freed her right hand to grab onto one of the beams to steady herself. Her sudden stop jerked her body to the side, and the hammer went sailing off the bridge into the river below.

Clem's mind went on overdrive, screaming one thing over and over.

_FIND A WEAPON!_

The walker had come between her and her walking stick. She forced herself to wait until it was close, and then grabbed the beam, pulled herself up, and kicked it back with her leg. Walkers were notoriously clumsy and easy to knock off balance, and this time was no exception. The walker crashed to the ground, the wood groaning beneath its weight.

Wasting no time, Clementine sprang forward, pushing off the beam with her leg, and rolled to break her fall, landing by her cane in a crouch. Weapon back in hand, she started to turn to face the walker, but it had recovered quicker than she'd anticipated, and before Clem knew it the walker was on top of her.

Pinned to the ground beneath the walker, its teeth mere inches from her face, Clementine was suddenly back in the shed, staring down her death alone and afraid.

Panic rushed through her, and her heart rate skyrocketed. Gritting her teeth, she pushed her foot into the walker's stomach and kicked it away with as much strength as she could muster. She pushed herself to her feet and drove her cane into the walker's skull. The bone crumpled like wet paper and the walker fell silent.

Clem ripped her walking stick away and nearly collapsed, her whole body trembling and her breathing coming in short bursts. Right now she wanted nothing more than to curl up into a little ball, but she remembered Luke and stumbled back over to the hole.

"L- Luke, hang on," Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a long piece of pipe. "Here, grab this!" Clementine lowered the pipe down to Luke, who took it and laid it along two of the bridge cables before standing on it. The pipe cracked just as Luke caught the edge of the bridge, snapping in half and dropping into the river below. Clem leaned down to help pull him up, but he didn't really need it, and a second later he was beside her, doubled over and panting.

They were quiet for a long moment, realizing how close they'd come to death. Luke straightened and looked down at Clementine, who had her arms wrapped around herself.

"Damn, that was close," He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling guilty that she'd had to deal with the walkers on her own. "Thanks, Clem."

Clementine nodded, but her throat was tight and she glanced away, tears threatening to spill.

"You okay?" Luke asked. His face paled. "They didn't get you, did they?"

"N- no..." Clem struggled to catch her breath. "Luke... I- I-"

"Hey, now, it's okay," Luke knelt to her level and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me what's wrong, alright?"

"One of t- the walkers got on t- top of me, a- a- and..." Clementine hated how her voice shook and threatened to break. "It was l- like I was back in t- the shed..."

"Oh, Clem..." He gently pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, I should'a been there for you..."

Clementine surprised herself by wrapping her arms around Luke's neck, burying her face in his bloody shirt. Under normal circumstances, she might not have been so quick to show affection, but at the moment she needed comfort.

"Shh... it's okay, you're alright," Luke murmured softly. "You did good out there, okay? I've said it before, an' I"ll say it again; you're tough as nails. You're gonna be alright."

"Okay... I'm okay..." Clem pulled away, brushing tears from her face. "Thanks, Luke."

"Don't mention it," He smiled, rising to his feet again. "You all set?"

"Y- yeah, I'm good." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"Let's keep moving, then."

* * *

They didn't get far.

Scarcely a minute had passed before Luke stopped Clementine again, pointing at something father down the bridge.

"See him?" He asked quietly.

She lifted her gaze and saw a figure slowly approaching them. He was walking upright, clothed in a grey and black hoodie, and his pace was steady and even, very unlike the awkward shuffling associated with walkers. As he neared them, Clem could make out the sleek rifle held loosely in his arms.

"Yeah."

A long silence stretched between them as the stranger continued to close the distance. Luke was tense, one hand resting by his gun holster.

"Just play is cool," He muttered. "And you do the talking."

"What?!" Clementine looked up at him in surprise. "Why me?"

"Cause I don't wanna get in a fight," Luke replied, his eyes still on the stranger. "You really think he'd shoot a little girl?"

"Is he with Carver?" She couldn't see his face clearly.

"It's hard to see," Luke narrowed his eyes. "I don't think so, just be careful and don't piss him off, alright?"

The man stopped, and Clementine took this as her cue to step forward. She did so with some hesitation, her fingers curling around her bloody walking stick. She could feel the stranger staring at her stump, and was immediately self-conscious. In all honesty, she would've much rather preferred to hide behind Luke and let him do the talking, but that wasn't an option.

"Well, who are you?" The man said finally.

"I'm Clementine, and this is Luke." She decided to be honest and forward; he hadn't given them any reason to be distrustful yet.

"Clementine and Luke," He sounded doubtful, but he took a few steps closer. "Huh. You don't look like assholes. _Are_ you assholes?" The man asked. "No offense or anything," He added quickly. "But you know how it is out here. You run into a lot of assholes."

"We're just people." Clem told him, glancing up at Luke, who nodded.

"Fair enough." He drew closer, and his face became clearer. His features seemed to be of Asian decent, with facial hair framing his jawline and upper lip. His eyes were kind and expressive, his eyebrows slightly raised in curiosity. Clementine looked up at Luke to see if he recognized the man from Carver's gang, but he gave no indication that he did, though he still seemed suspicious.

"You folks heading up north like everyone else?" The stranger asked them.

"Everyone else?" Luke quirked an eyebrow.

"I see at least one group a day move through here," He explained, his voice tired and heavy. "You all look the same. It's like the great migration of the dazed and confused..."

"Have you seen someone named Christa?" The question escaped Clementine without warning. She knew it was a long shot, but she couldn't help but hope.

"Christa? Maybe." He shrugged.

"Really?!" She couldn't hide the eagerness in her voice.

"Nah, I mean a lot of people come through here," He elaborated. "I don't know."

Clem's face fell. The answer was disheartening, but expected. The man seemed to realize this, and his expression softened.

"I'm sorry," He told her. "Y'know, I gotta say, you two look like shit. If you need food, I've got some canned stuff in that station back there."

"Well, that's, uh... awful nice of you," Luke put his hands on his hips, studying the stranger's face distrustfully. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," He promised. "I've got plenty."

"Well, all right then," Luke relaxed, smiling at the man. "Thank you."

"Hey, no problem," He returned the gesture, smiling warmly at Luke and Clementine. "Nice running into friendly faces out here. Like I said, I've got food and supplies back at the station. And if you want..."

The stranger suddenly broke off, his gaze landing on something behind them. His eyes widened and he took half a step back.

"What the fuck, man?" He demanded, his voice laced with fear.

Clem turned to see Nick running up to them, rifle in hand.

"What the hell is he doing?" Luke knit his brows together.

Nick stopped a few yards away and took aim. Immediately, the stranger lifted his gun as well, finger on the trigger.

"No, no, no, no! He's wi- he's with us!" Luke protested quickly. The man's eyes shifted from Nick to Luke, hesitating.

Luke turned to Nick, waving his hands in the air in an attempt to get him to stand down.

"Nick, no!"

"Put it down-"

"Don't shoot!"

_**BANG**_

Luke tackled Clementine to the ground as the shot rang off, shielding her with his arm. Heart hammering, she looked up as a horrible guttural noise reached her ears. The stranger staggered backwards, hand clasped to his neck as bright red blood spurted from the wound. He made a wretched gurgling sound deep in his throat, thick and wet with blood, and his eyes locked onto her desperately before he went careening off the side of the bridge.

Luke ran over to the edge, Clem scrambling after him, and they both watched helplessly as the man plummeted into the river below.

Throat tight, Luke turned and stalked forward to meet Nick, who's wide eyes darted around the bridge anxiously.

"Did I hit him? Where is he?" Nick asked, glancing around warily.

"Wha the hell was that?! I told you not to shoot!" Luke fumed.

"What? No, I... " Nick sounded genuinely confused. "Who was that guy?"

"He- he was going to help us," Clementine felt sick. "Why did you shoot?"

"He pointed a gun at me!" Nick exclaimed defensively.

"Dammit, Nick, I told you not to shoot!"

"How was I supposed to hear you?" Nick demanded. "You gave me a clear shot! I- I thought that-"

"That shot rang out for miles," Luke hissed angrily. "We gotta get off this bridge. Let's go." He gestured at the rest of the group, who had crept up silently during the argument. Clementine cast a final glance over the side of the bridge where the stranger had fallen, a tight knot forming in her chest.

She didn't even know his name.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Kenny is in the next chapter. See you next week! - Aqua**


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